# Po: the Chilean sentence-ending particle (from pues)

> id: regional.cl.po-particle · category: regional · depth: standard · levels: A2 · review: internally_reviewed

**Summary.** Po is a reduced pues tacked onto the end of phrases to add emphasis or obviousness: sí po, no po, ya po, obvio po. Unstressed and clitic, it's one of the surest signs you're hearing Chilean.

Po is the worn-down remnant of pues. It attaches to the end of a word or phrase with no stress of its own, reinforcing what was just said: sí po ('yeah, obviously'), no po ('no, come on'), ya po ('okay already / come on'), claro po ('of course').

It carries a shade of 'obviously', mild impatience, or friendly insistence, depending on tone. It is extremely frequent in casual speech and almost never written in formal contexts. Ya po in particular is a Swiss-army phrase — agreement, a nudge to hurry, or resigned acceptance.

Po pairs naturally with the other Chilean markers: cachái, po becomes the rhythm of an informal conversation. Like all discourse particles it belongs to speech; you drop it entirely when writing or speaking formally, the same way English drops 'like' and 'y'know'.

## Examples
- —¿Vamos? —Sí po, obvio. — —Shall we go? —Yeah, obviously.
- Ya po, apúrate que vamos tarde. — Come on, hurry up, we're late.
- No po, así no se hace. — No, come on, that's not how it's done.

Related: regional.cl.voseo-mixed, regional.cl.lexicon, regional.cl.speech-speed

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