Il attend, non pas que Paul refuse, mais pour confirmer.

It means not ... but rather ... or not so much ... as .... It is a contrastive structure used to correct or replace one idea with another.

So here, the speaker is setting up one interpretation and then replacing it with a different one.

Non pas que is a common pattern meaning not that.... It often introduces an explanation or interpretation that the speaker wants to reject.

For example:

• Non pas que je sois fatigué, mais... = Not that I’m tired, but...

So in your sentence, non pas que Paul refuse presents an idea the speaker is distancing themselves from: not that Paul is refusing.

Yes. After non pas que, French normally uses the subjunctive.

So the expected form is:

• que Paul refuse

For the verb refuser, the present subjunctive form refuse looks exactly the same as the present indicative form refuse. That is why there is no visible spelling difference here.

Compare:

• Indicative: Paul refuse
• Subjunctive: que Paul refuse

They are spelled the same, but the grammar is different.

Because non pas is a fixed contrastive expression, not the usual ne ... pas negation around a verb.

Compare:

• Il ne refuse pas. = He is not refusing.
• Non pas X, mais Y. = Not X, but Y.

So non pas here is not negating the verb directly in the normal way; it is part of a set phrase used for contrast.

Normally, with pour + infinitive, the understood subject is the same as the subject of the main verb.

So in:

• Il attend ... pour confirmer

the most natural reading is that il is the one who will confirm.

If you wanted Paul to be the one confirming, French would normally make that clearer, for example:

• ... pour que Paul confirme
• or ... mais que Paul confirme

depending on the intended meaning.

Pour + infinitive usually expresses purpose: in order to confirm.

So:

• pour confirmer = to confirm / in order to confirm

By contrast, que + verb introduces a full clause.

The important point is that your sentence mixes two different structures:

• non pas que Paul refuse
• mais pour confirmer

That is why it feels uneven. French usually prefers a more parallel structure after non pas ... mais ....

For example:

• non pas que Paul refuse, mais qu’il confirme
• non pas pour refuser, mais pour confirmer

Those are more balanced.

Not really. It is understandable, but it sounds awkward because the two parts after non pas ... mais ... are not parallel.

You have:

• que Paul refuse = a clause
• pour confirmer = an infinitive phrase of purpose

French usually prefers the two sides of this contrast to match more closely.

More natural versions would depend on the intended meaning:

• Il attend, non pas que Paul refuse, mais qu’il confirme.
  If the contrast is between Paul refusing and Paul confirming.

• Il attend, non pas pour refuser, mais pour confirmer.
  If the contrast is between two purposes.

• Il attend, non parce que Paul refuse, mais pour confirmer.
  If the intended meaning is He is waiting, not because Paul refuses, but in order to confirm.

So the original sentence is a bit grammatically mismatched.

Attendre can mean both to wait and to expect, depending on context.

Common patterns include:

• attendre quelqu’un = to wait for someone
• attendre quelque chose = to wait for something / expect something
• attendre que + subjunctive = to wait until / wait for someone to...

In your sentence, attend is followed by a contrastive construction, which makes the wording feel less straightforward than a simple attendre quelqu’un or attendre que... structure.

That is another reason the sentence feels slightly unnatural.

Try to make both halves of the contrast follow the same pattern.

Good options are:

• non pas que ... mais que ...
• non pas pour ... mais pour ...
• non pas X, mais Y

For example:

• Il attend, non pas que Paul refuse, mais qu’il confirme.
• Il attend, non pas pour refuser, mais pour confirmer.
• Il n’attend pas un refus de Paul, mais une confirmation.

So the main improvement is parallel structure.