Эй, подожди!

Эй is an attention-getter, similar to hey! in English. It can be used to call out to someone, especially if you want them to stop, listen, or turn around.

A few notes:

• It is fairly common in speech.
• It can sound casual, sharp, or even slightly rude depending on tone.
• In a friendly context, it may sound playful.
• In a tense context, it can sound like you are shouting after someone.

So Эй, подожди! feels very natural for calling after someone: Hey, wait!

Both are related to waiting, but they are not used in exactly the same way.

• ждать = to wait
• подождать = to wait a bit, to wait for a moment

The form подожди is the imperative of подождать. In everyday Russian, when you mean wait a second, hold on, or just wait, подожди is often the most natural choice.

Compare:

• Жди! = Wait! / Keep waiting!
  This can sound harsher or more like a command to remain and continue waiting.
• Подожди! = Wait a moment! / Hold on!
  This is usually what people say when stopping someone briefly.

So in this sentence, подожди sounds more idiomatic.

Подожди is the singular informal imperative form of подождать.

That means it is used:

• when speaking to one person
• in an informal way

The formal/plural version is:

• подождите = wait / wait a moment

So:

• Эй, подожди! = said to one person informally
• Эй, подождите! = said to one person politely, or to more than one person

Russian usually leaves out subject pronouns when they are already clear from the verb form.

In подожди, the ending already shows that the speaker is talking to you:

• imperative
• singular
• informal

So Russian does not need a separate ты here.

If you added ты, it would usually sound marked for emphasis:

• Эй, ты, подожди!

That can sound more confrontational, like Hey, you, wait!

The stress is:

• Эй
• подожди

A simple pronunciation guide:

• Эй sounds roughly like ey in hey
• по = like pa or puh
• до = da or duh
• жди is the tricky part; the жд cluster is pronounced together

Approximate English-style guide:

• Ey, padazh-DEE!

A few pronunciation tips:

• ж sounds like the s in measure
• The жд combination may feel difficult at first; say it slowly: ж-ди
• The final и is a clear ee sound

Yes, the comma is standard here.

That is because эй functions like an interjection, and in writing it is separated from the rest of the sentence:

• Эй, подожди!

This is similar to how English often writes:

• Hey, wait!

In casual texting, people may sometimes skip punctuation, but the standard written form uses the comma.

Not automatically. It depends a lot on tone and situation.

It can sound:

• neutral and natural if you are calling after a friend
• urgent if someone is walking away
• a bit abrupt with a stranger
• rude if shouted aggressively

If you want something softer, Russian has other options, for example:

• Подожди секундочку. = Wait a second.
• Подождите, пожалуйста. = Please wait.
• Извините, подождите. = Excuse me, wait a moment.

So Эй, подожди! is common, but it is definitely casual and direct.

These are related, but they differ in style and grammar.

• подожди = informal singular, very common, neutral colloquial
• погоди = also informal singular, often more conversational or expressive; sometimes feels a bit old-fashioned or regional depending on context
• подождите = formal singular or plural

Examples:

• Эй, подожди! = Hey, wait!
• Погоди! = Wait a sec! / Hold on!
• Подождите! = Wait! / Please wait!

For a learner, подожди and подождите are the safest forms to remember first.

Yes, very often it does.

The prefix по- in подождать often gives the idea of doing something for a while or for a short time. So подожди frequently means:

• wait a bit
• hold on
• just a moment

That is one reason it fits so well in everyday speech. When someone says Эй, подожди!, they usually mean stop for a moment, not remain waiting indefinitely.