7

I was kidding with friends about them sending me something irrealistic. The written answer I got was:

тока позже!))

with "))" being what I think are the Russian emoticons for lol (without eyes - just the smile). позже is after but in lingvo I didn't find something really helpful in order to translate тока, which is presummably the genitive of ток.

What does тока позже mean?

Improve this question
2
  • 2
    Overusing of "))" is very common in Russia. There is even a joke about it: No smiles @ Serious conversation. – kemerover Sep 24 '13 at 7:47
  • My interpretation of that phrase would be close to "yeah right". – Tonyk Mar 18 '15 at 18:14
15

"Тока" is a (usually intentionally) incorrect spelling of "только", imitating its common pronunciation (similar to "чо" = "что"). "Тока позже" thus means "only later" or "just later". The unmatched parentheses are indeed emoticons (I don't think this form is specific to Russia though).

Improve this answer
8
  • 9
    )) is much more prevalent in Russian than elsewhere because to type : on Russian keyboard layout you have to use Shift+6, while on English (US) layout it's Shift+;, which is much easier to type with one hand. So many people don't bother and skip the : when typing in Russian. BTW, that's also why you sometimes see Ж)) instead. – Igor Skochinsky Sep 12 '13 at 19:27
  • 2
    @IgorSkochinsky I've always wondered about that, thanks! Although I very much doubt anyone using an English keyboard would write a : with one hand! – Matt Fletcher Sep 13 '13 at 8:21
  • I do it all the time :) – Igor Skochinsky Sep 13 '13 at 9:20
  • @IgorSkochinsky It's not clear what you mean by 'easier to type with one hand'. Both Shift + ; and Shift + 6 require both hands for typing. – UVV Mar 6 '15 at 8:52
  • 1
    @uvv the ';' key is very close to the right shift, so you can easily type ':' with just the right hand. See e.g. here – Igor Skochinsky Mar 8 '15 at 18:32
1

тока = is translating as = just, (right now), for the record guys, I'm russian )) = middle type smile)

Improve this answer
0

тока позже could be like "but/only later"
e.g.
да, тока позжеlike yes, but/only later

examples of right form
http://www.linguee.com/english-russian/search?source=auto&query=%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%BA%D0%BE+%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%B6%D0%B5

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.