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Questions & Answers about Почекайте хвилину, будь ласка.
Why is Почекайте used instead of Почекай?
In Ukrainian imperatives, Почекайте (ending in -йте) is the polite – or plural – form of почекати, used when addressing someone formally or a group. Почекай is the informal singular imperative.
Why isn’t the pronoun ви included in Почекайте хвилину, будь ласка?
Ukrainian normally drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already signals the person. The -йте ending in Почекайте tells you the subject is ви (second-person plural or formal singular), so you don’t need to say ви explicitly.
What case is хвилину, and why is it used here?
хвилину is the singular accusative of хвилина (minute). When you specify a duration of time in Ukrainian (“wait for X time”), you put the time period in the accusative case.
Where is the stress in хвилину?
The stress falls on the second syllable: хви-ЛИ-ну.
What does будь ласка literally mean, and why is it used?
Literally, будь ласка breaks down to “be favor” or “be kindness,” but functionally it means please. It’s a polite particle that softens a request.
Can будь ласка go before the verb? Does it change anything?
Yes. You can say either
• Будь ласка, почекайте хвилину
• Почекайте хвилину, будь ласка
Both mean the same; placing будь ласка at the start or end is just a matter of style or emphasis.
What’s the difference between чекати and почекати?
• чекати is imperfective: to wait (focus on the process, no notion of completion).
• почекати is perfective: to wait for a specific span and then stop.
In an instruction like this, perfective почекати implies “wait for exactly one minute, then proceed.”
How would you say “Wait two minutes, please” in Ukrainian?
You change the numeral and keep the noun in the genitive after 2, 3, 4. The sentence becomes:
Почекайте дві хвилини, будь ласка.
Are there synonyms for Почекайте in this context?
Yes. A common alternative is Зачекайте хвилину, будь ласка. Both почекати and зачекати mean “to wait,” but зачекати often emphasizes the act of waiting a bit.
Is it mandatory to use the perfective form (почекати/зачекати) here?
Not strictly. You could say Чекайте хвилину, будь ласка, using the imperfective imperative чекайте, which simply means “keep waiting for a minute.” Both are understood, but perfective is more common for a fixed short wait.