Подожди меня в кафе, пока я схожу в аптеку.

Both can mean wait, but they are not exactly the same.

• ждать / жди = to wait, be waiting
• подождать / подожди = to wait for a while, wait a bit

In this sentence, подожди sounds very natural because the speaker means wait for me for a short time while I go to the pharmacy.

So:

• Жди меня = wait for me
• Подожди меня = wait for me a bit / hold on for me

Russian often uses the perfective imperative here when the speaker means a single complete action.

Because the verb ждать / подождать takes a direct object, and here меня is the accusative form of я.

The pronoun changes like this:

• я = I
• меня = me

So Подожди меня literally means Wait me, but in natural English that becomes Wait for me.

This is a very common difference from English: Russian often uses no preposition where English uses for.

Because в can be used with different cases depending on the meaning.

1. в кафе

Here it means in the café or at the café, so it shows location. That usually requires the prepositional case.

• кафе is an indeclinable noun, so it stays кафе
• underlyingly, this is в + prepositional

2. в аптеку

Here it means to the pharmacy, so it shows direction or motion into/to a place. That usually requires the accusative case.

• аптека = pharmacy
• в аптеку = to the pharmacy

So:

• где? where? → в кафе
• куда? to where? → в аптеку

Here пока means while.

So the structure is:

• Подожди меня в кафе = Wait for me at the café
• пока я схожу в аптеку = while I go to the pharmacy

In some contexts, пока can also mean until, depending on the sentence. But here the meaning is clearly while: one action happens during the time of another short action.

Also, do not confuse this with Пока!, which means Bye!

Схожу comes from сходить, a perfective verb that often means go somewhere and come back.

That makes it a very good choice here, because the speaker is saying:

• stay in the café
• I will go to the pharmacy
• then I will come back

So я схожу в аптеку suggests a quick round trip.

Compare:

• я иду в аптеку = I am going to the pharmacy / I’m on my way there
• я пойду в аптеку = I will go to the pharmacy
• я схожу в аптеку = I’ll go to the pharmacy and come back

In this sentence, схожу is especially natural because the listener is being asked to wait for the speaker’s return.

Because in Russian, perfective verbs do not have a true present tense. Their present-looking forms usually express the future.

So:

• сходить = perfective
• я схожу = I will go and come back

This is a very important Russian pattern:

• imperfective present = present time
• perfective present-form = future meaning

Examples:

• я иду = I am going
• я схожу = I will go and come back

Yes. Подожди is the singular informal imperative, used with ты.

Other forms:

• Подождите меня в кафе, пока я схожу в аптеку. = polite singular or plural
• Жди / Ждите are also possible, but подожди / подождите sound more natural here

So if you are speaking to:

• one friend → Подожди
• one stranger / elder / formal situation → Подождите
• several people → Подождите

Because пока я схожу в аптеку is a subordinate clause.

Russian normally separates subordinate clauses with a comma, including clauses introduced by пока.

So the sentence has two parts:

• Подожди меня в кафе
• пока я схожу в аптеку

The comma shows that the second part depends on the first.

Yes, Russian word order is flexible, although some versions sound more natural than others depending on emphasis.

The original sentence is neutral and natural:

• Подожди меня в кафе, пока я схожу в аптеку.

Possible variations:

• Пока я схожу в аптеку, подожди меня в кафе.
• В кафе подожди меня, пока я схожу в аптеку.

These are all understandable, but the emphasis changes:

• putting в кафе earlier emphasizes the location
• putting the пока clause first emphasizes the time situation

The original version is probably the most straightforward in everyday speech.

Кафе is one of those Russian nouns that are usually indeclinable, meaning they do not change form across cases.

So you get:

• кафе
• в кафе
• из кафе
• около кафе

The form stays the same, even though its grammatical role changes.

This can feel strange to English speakers at first, but it is normal for some borrowed nouns in Russian.

Not with the same meaning.

• в аптеку = to the pharmacy
• в аптеке = in the pharmacy

Here the speaker is talking about going to the pharmacy, so Russian uses motion + accusative:

• схожу в аптеку

If you said в аптеке, it would describe location, not destination. For example:

• Я в аптеке. = I am in the pharmacy.
• Я работаю в аптеке. = I work in the pharmacy.

So in the original sentence, в аптеку is the correct choice because the action is directional.