Breakdown of Погоди, я ещё не готов.
я
I
ещё
still, more
готов
ready (short form)
погодить
to wait a moment (colloquial)
Questions & Answers about Погоди, я ещё не готов.
What is the difference between погоди and подожди?
Both mean wait or hold on, but погоди is more colloquial and conversational. It comes from the perfective verb погодить (to wait a little), whereas подожди comes from the more standard подождать. You will hear погоди very often in casual, everyday speech.
Why do we use the short-form adjective готов instead of the long-form готовый?
Short-form adjectives like готов (masculine), готова (feminine), and готовы (plural) are used as predicates to describe temporary states—like being ready at this specific moment. The long form готовый is usually used directly next to a noun to describe a permanent quality, as in готовый ответ (a ready-made answer).
Is the word order strictly ещё не, or could I say не готов ещё?
Russian word order is flexible, so я не готов ещё is grammatically fine and you will certainly hear it. However, keeping the block ещё не together right before the adjective or verb is the most standard and natural way to express not yet.
If I wanted to tell a friend named Sasha to hold on, how would I use the truncated vocative we are learning in this lesson?
You would drop the final vowel of the name to get their attention quickly and informally. Саша becomes Саш. You would say: Саш, погоди, я ещё не готов.