Poka, or goodbye for now

As you might know, the word poka (пока) can stand for “yet,” “until,” or “while.” It all depends on the context:

  • Я пока не готов – I’m not ready yet

  • Пока не сдам экзамен, не уеду в Ягодное – I won’t go to Yagodnoe until I pass the exam

  • Пока ты спал, я писал диплом – I was writing my thesis while you were asleep

At the same time, it’s also the most popular way to say bye informally. What’s up with that?

The truth is, poka became “bye” fairly recently. This meaning was officially acknowledged only in the second half of the 20th century. It was used before that, too, but only colloquially. Some well-educated people apparently hated it: Korney Chukovsky (1882–1969), one of the most popular Russian children’s poets, wrote how mad he was about young people who all of a sudden started to say “poka” instead of “do svidaniya” (formal “goodbye”) in one of his books.

Just like with many other changes in the Russian language, this seems to have something to do with the Russian Revolution. After it, in the 1920s, there was a tendency to make the language simpler, without the need for any excesses. In tune with this trend, longer farewells like “poka do svidanya” (“until the next date”) or “proshchai poka” (“farewell for now”) got shortened to just one word – “poka.”

Davai – informal “godspeed”

The story behind using the word davai as “bye” is more mysterious. This word has multiple meanings, such as “let,” “may,” “give.” So, intuitively, it feels like this farewell is short for some other phrase, just like poka, but for which?

There’s actually no certain answer. Some say it’s the only word that remained from a lengthy goodbye:

  • Давай пожмем руку на про­щание – Let’s shake hands to say goodbye

Another, more substantiated version, tells us that davai was initially directed to… God. As in “May God provide you.” Something like the English “godspeed”:

  • Давай тебе Бог здоровья! – May God give you health!

Interestingly enough, a similar construction remained in Russian. Not as a way to say goodbye, however, but as a way to express hope:

  • Дай Бог! – May/Give God!

Check out our guides on handling everyday situations in Russian and learning it beyond the classroom for more insights.