пока что

poká chto — for now / so far / at the moment

What it really means

"Пока что" means "for now" or "at this point in time" — emphasising that the current situation is temporary and subject to change. It is stronger than "пока" alone in pointing to the current, provisional state of things.

"Пока" by itself is ambiguous — it means "while," "as long as," or the colloquial "bye." "Пока что" specifically signals "temporarily, right now, but this may change."

Examples in natural speech

Пока что всё идёт по плану.
So far everything's going according to plan.
Оставим это пока что.
Let's leave that for now.
Пока что не знаю, что делать.
I don't know what to do at the moment.
Пока что живём здесь, потом посмотрим.
We're living here for now, we'll see later.
Пока что я доволен результатами.
I'm satisfied with the results so far.

Common mistakes

"Пока что" and "пока" are not identical. "Пока я читал" = "While I was reading." "Пока что я читаю" = "I'm reading at the moment (for now)." Using "пока" alone for "so far/for now" can create ambiguity.

Memory tip

"Пока что" = "while [things are] what [they are]" — pointing to the current provisional state.

Frequently asked questions

What does пока что mean in Russian?

"Пока что" means "for now," "so far," or "at the moment" — it emphasises that something is temporary. "Пока что всё хорошо" = "Everything is fine for now."

What is the difference between пока and пока что?

"Пока" means "while" (пока ты спишь = while you sleep) or is used colloquially as "bye." "Пока что" specifically means "for now/at the moment" and emphasises temporariness.

How do you say for now in Russian?

"Пока что" is the natural way to say "for now" or "for the time being" in conversational Russian.

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