Počkej ještě minutu.

Wait one more minute.

Breakdown of Počkej ještě minutu.

• ještě: still
• počkat: to wait
• minuta: the minute

Questions & Answers about Počkej ještě minutu.

What does Počkej mean exactly, and what form is it?

Počkej is the imperative (command) form of the verb počkat (to wait, to wait for a while / until something is done).

• Person: 2nd person singular
• Register: informal (used with ty, i.e. friends, family, children)
• Aspect: perfective (focuses on the completed act of waiting for that period of time, not on the ongoing process)

So Počkej = (You) wait / Hold on / Just wait (said to one person you’re on ty terms with).

What is the difference between Počkej and Čekej?

Both are imperatives meaning “wait”, but they differ in aspect:

• Počkej – from počkat (perfective)

  • Wait until something is done / for a defined period
  • Implies completion: Wait (for a bit / until X happens)
  • Fits well with a set duration like minutu.

• Čekej – from čekat (imperfective)

  • Focuses on the ongoing process of waiting
  • More like: Keep waiting / Be waiting

In Počkej ještě minutu, the perfective počkej matches the idea “wait for (one more) minute and then it will be enough.”

What does ještě mean here?

Ještě is a very flexible word, but in this sentence it means “another / one more / still (for)”.

In Počkej ještě minutu, it has the sense of:

• “Wait one more minute.”
• “Wait for a minute longer.”

Other common meanings of ještě in different contexts:

• still / yet:
  
  • Ještě spí. – He/She is still sleeping.
  • Ještě jsem to neudělal. – I haven’t done it yet.
• even (more):
  
  • Ještě lepší. – Even better.

Here, its function is to add the idea of additional time.

Why is it minutu and not minuta?

Minuta is a feminine noun:

• Nominative (dictionary form): minuta – a minute
• Accusative (direct object): minutu

In Počkej ještě minutu, minutu is in the accusative, because it expresses:

• duration of time – “for a minute”

Czech uses the accusative to express how long something lasts:

• Čekal jsem hodinu. – I waited (for) an hour.
• Spal dvě hodiny. – He slept (for) two hours.

So minutu is correct as the duration object of počkej.

How would I say this politely or to more than one person?

To address someone politely (vy) or several people, use the plural imperative:

• Počkejte ještě minutu. – Wait another minute. (formal singular or plural)

To make it more polite, you can add prosím:

• Počkejte, prosím, ještě minutu. – Please wait another minute.
• Prosím, počkejte ještě minutu.

Počkej = informal ty, one person
Počkejte = polite vy (one person) or plural “you all”

Is the subject “you” missing? Why isn’t it written?

In Czech, subject pronouns are usually dropped when they’re clear from the verb ending.

• Počkej clearly indicates “(ty) počkej” – “you (singular informal), wait”.

Adding ty is normally unnecessary and can sound stressed or emotional:

• Ty počkej! – Just you wait! (can sound like a warning or threat)

So the subject “you” is understood from the form počkej and does not need to be written.

How is Počkej ještě minutu pronounced?

Approximate pronunciation (with main stress always on the first syllable of each word):

• Počkej – [POCH-kay]

  • P as in spin
  • o short, like o in off
  • č like ch in church
  • ej like ay in day

• ještě – [YES-tyeh]

  • je like ye in yes
  • š like sh in shoe
  • tě is softened: something like tye (tongue more forward than in English ty)

• minutu – [MIH-noo-too]

  • i short, like i in bit
  • all vowels short and clear

Together: [POCH-kay YES-tyeh MIH-noo-too], with a normal, smooth rhythm and no extra stress on later syllables.

Can I change the word order, for example Ještě minutu počkej?

Yes, Czech word order is flexible, and Ještě minutu počkej is also correct.

• Počkej ještě minutu. – neutral: command first, then the detail.
• Ještě minutu počkej. – puts slight emphasis on ještě minutu (“for one more minute (at least) keep waiting”).

The basic meaning doesn’t change; it’s more about what you emphasize in the sentence.

Is there a difference between ještě minutu and ještě jednu minutu?

Both can be translated as “one more minute”, but:

• ještě minutu – most common, neutral, natural in speech.
• ještě jednu minutu – adds explicit “one” and can sound:
  • more precise or insistent
  • a bit more formal or stressed (depending on tone)

In everyday speech, people usually say Počkej ještě minutu.

How can I say “Wait another little while” instead of exactly one minute?

You can replace minutu with more vague time expressions:

• Počkej ještě chvilku. – Wait a little while longer.
• Počkej ještě chvíli. – Wait a bit longer.
• Počkej ještě moment. – Wait a moment longer.

Chvilku and chvíli both mean “a short while”; chvilku feels slightly more colloquial and “small”.