pochti

Pochti, written in Cyrillic as почти, is a Russian adverb meaning almost or nearly. It indicates that a quantity, degree, or time is close to a threshold but does not fully reach it.

In usage, pochti typically precedes the word it modifies. Examples include почи готов (almost ready), почти каждый (almost every), and почти два метра (almost two meters). It can also appear with negation to express “almost not” or “hardly,” as in она почти не говорила (she almost did not speak; she hardly spoke).

Nuances and comparison with related terms: pochti emphasizes closeness in degree rather than exact approximation. It contrasts with a term like okoli/around or primerno/approximately, which convey rough quantification rather than closeness to a limit. Common synonyms include практически and около, with slight nuance differences: практически often stresses near-completion or overall extent, while около emphasizes rough quantity or magnitude.

Etymology and language relatives: the word is of Slavic origin and has cognates in other East and South Slavic languages. Its exact historical derivation is not universally settled, but it is a widely attested element across Slavic languages used to express near-ness or proximity.

See also: approximately, practically, around.