Подожди ещё минуту, пожалуйста.

Wait one more minute, please.

Breakdown of Подожди ещё минуту, пожалуйста.

• пожалуйста: please
• подождать: to wait
• минута: the minute
• ещё: still / yet

Questions & Answers about Подожди ещё минуту, пожалуйста.

Why is it Подожди and not Подождите?

Подожди is the informal singular imperative (you’re talking to one person in a casual way).
Подождите is either:

• formal/polite to one person (like please wait to a stranger), or
• plural to multiple people.

So:

• Informal: Подожди ещё минуту, пожалуйста.
• Polite/formal: Подождите ещё минуту, пожалуйста.

What verb is подожди from, and what does the prefix по- do?

It comes from подождать (perfective) / ждать (imperfective).
The prefix по- often adds the sense of waiting for a short while or a bit. So подождать often feels like wait a little / wait for a bit, which fits well with ещё минуту.

Why is the imperative perfective (подождать → подожди) instead of imperfective (ждать → жди)?

In Russian, imperatives often use the perfective to request a single complete action (here: “do some waiting for a short time until a point is reached”).
Жди (imperfective) can sound more like “keep waiting / wait (in general)” and may feel harsher or more like a standing instruction depending on context.

Common contrast:

• Подожди минуту. = wait a minute (brief, specific)
• Жди здесь. = wait here (instruction to remain waiting)

Why is минуту in that form?

Минуту is the accusative singular of минута (feminine). It’s used because it’s the direct object of the “wait (for how long?)” idea: wait a minute.
Dictionary form: минута
Accusative singular: минуту

Why isn’t there a preposition like на (as in “for a minute”)?

Russian can express duration without a preposition: подожди минуту / час / две минуты. That’s very common.
You can also see на минуту, but it’s a bit different in nuance and usage (often “for a minute” as a short visit/stop or temporary change, depending on the verb). With подожди, the plain accusative duration (минуту) is the most straightforward.

What does ещё mean here, and can it mean “again”?

Here ещё means still / a bit more / another: wait one more minute.
Ещё can also mean “again” in some contexts, but in this sentence the natural reading is “more/another,” because it combines with a time amount (минуту).

Why doesn’t it say ещё одну минуту?

Russian often omits one when it’s obvious. ещё минуту already strongly implies “one more minute.”
If you say ещё одну минуту, it becomes more explicit and can sound slightly more insistent or precise: just one more minute.

Is минуту literally “one minute,” or can it mean “a moment”?

It can be both:

• literally a minute (60 seconds), or
• idiomatically a moment / a sec, like English “Wait a minute.”

Tone and situation decide which is meant.

Why is there a comma before пожалуйста? Is it required?

Пожалуйста is a parenthetical politeness word, so it’s commonly set off by commas: …, пожалуйста.
In casual messages people sometimes omit the comma, but in standard punctuation the comma is preferred.

Where can пожалуйста go in the sentence?

It’s flexible:

• Подожди ещё минуту, пожалуйста. (very common)
• Пожалуйста, подожди ещё минуту. (a bit more “please” up front)
• Подожди, пожалуйста, ещё минуту. (more parenthetical; can add emphasis)

Word order changes emphasis, not the basic meaning.

How do you pronounce and stress the key words?

Stress (accent) is:

• подожди́ (stress on the last syllable)
• ещё́
• мину́ту
• пожа́луйста

Approximate pronunciation:

• подожди́ ≈ puh-duh-ZHDEE
• ещё ≈ yish-SHYO (soft, long щ)
• мину́ту ≈ mee-NOO-tu
• пожа́луйста ≈ puh-ZHA-luh-stuh

What are some natural alternatives a Russian speaker might use?

A few common variants:

• Подожди минутку, пожалуйста. (diminutive; often friendlier)
• Секундочку! / Одну секундочку! (very common: “one second!”)
• Подождите ещё минуту, пожалуйста. (polite/formal)
• Подожди немного, пожалуйста. (“wait a bit”)