Let’s start with the two shortest responses that you can get. Remember the expression “секунду” from the first article in this series? Apart from “give me a moment”, it can also mean “I’ll do that in a moment”. By the way, the word for “moment” is exactly the same in Russian, “момент”, so you can use that as well. “Can you sign these for me?” - “Один момент” (one moment). Basically, these two are among the best responses that you can get.
“Минута” is, obviously, a minute. Much as with a second, the form “минуту” is used as a response to a request (“wait a minute” or “will do that in a minute”). The meaning is almost the same as with “секунду”, though this answer usually implies that the person is currently doing something and plans to finish it before reacting to your request.
Still, things get a bit more curious with minute’s diminutives. If someone says that they need “еще минутку” (a [little] minute more), you can well expect that it will take a lot more time than that: this expression is generally used when running late or not really planning to do something. “Еще минутку” is what you usually tell yourself in the morning before going back to sleep – and ending up late for whatever you’ve been planning. Another thing that you should consider is that the expression “минуточку” sounds really similar, but has an entirely different meaning. It is often used to interrupt in order to clarify something or to deny the other person whatever they are asking: “Remember you promised me to …” - “Минуточку! I don’t remember promising you anything”.
Deadlines can be even a greater issue. Though you shouldn’t have any problems with specific ones (you can always google the words for days and months, or ask them to be written down in digits), there are many expressions that can be extremely misleading.
На неделе (literally on the week) usually means “sometime this week”. Still, if it’s already the weekend and you get this kind of a reply, it can also mean “sometime next week”, so be sure to clarify. Also, keep in mind that dawdling is most tempting with this kind of a deadline, and something promised “на неделе” is most likely to get done by Sunday evening.
По возможности is even more vague: “when an opportunity presents itself”. Quite unfortunately, this doesn’t mean “at the nearest opportunity”. It is safer to infer from this response that there’s no opportunity to do the thing in question now, or in the coming days. So don’t get your hopes high!
Finally, the “true masterpiece” of evasion is “как только так сразу”. While the literal translation would mean gibberish in English, the closest interpretation that might make sense is “will be done ASAP when its time comes”. As for the meaning, it can range from “don’t have the slightest idea” to “when hell freezes over” – and the worst thing is that it’s usually unclear to the one who says it, too!
So what advice can I give you for dealing with this kind of obscurity? For starters, try getting clear responses and exact deadlines, i.e. dates and hours, for whatever you might need. Secondly, don’t hesitate to insist on getting a clear response, especially if it’s something important. Lastly, show an example and be punctual yourself – this usually prompts others to do the same!
