Почему нет, а пошли.
What is the point of "a" in that sentence, and in general?
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1A, #4– AlexanderAug 19, 2021 at 17:53
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this "a" here is as meant in "but", "no" (see Russian "но" too :>). See the latin prefix "a-" as negation too :> This sentence denies your refusal, and encourages you to go together him.– ПилумSep 5, 2021 at 14:20
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5 Answers
"a" is likely used here to emphasize negligent tint of phrase. However, it is not necessary here.
"А" has (too) many different meanings. Here it could be one of:
- Conjunction to emphasize fast topic transition.
- Interjection to show determination; note that in this case a comma is required: Почему нет? А, пошли.
Also, in live speech the interjection "а" is generally much longer than the conjunction.
As a native speaker I'd personally rather say:
А почему (бы и) нет, пошли!
In your example "а" gives kind of a spontaneous character to the sentence, it's like I was probably unsure about going, and now I've finally decided to go:
Compare:
А: Посмотри на этих девушек у бара, пойдем познакомимся.
Б: Почему нет, пошли.
and:
А: Посмотри на этих девушек у бара, пойдем познакомимся.
Б: Да они с нами и разговаривать-то не будут.
А: Да ладно тебе, не бойся. Все у нас получится.
Б: Почему нет, а пошли!
Also it could be an answer to a question where "а" is used as "давай":
А не пойти ли нам в кино? (= Давай пойдем в кино)
Почему нет, а пошли.
I believe the punctuation in the given sentence is wrong. It should be
Почему нет? А пошли.
The sentence seems silly to me because it delivers the same message twice. It's like saying of course, for sure, no doubt in a row.
As for the meaning of the conjunction а, I'd say it's safe to translate it as an English word though.
