Greetings in Russian

Find common greetings and phrases in Russian, and how to pronounce them.

Greetings

Term/Phrase	Translation	Transliteration	Pronunciation	Recording	Notes
Hello (formal)	Здравствуйте	Zdravstvuyte	Z-drAh-stvooy-tee	Listen	Emphasized vowel (capital letter) in pronunciation indicates the stress placement.
Hello (informal)	Привет	Privet	Pree-vYEt	Listen	This is a very informal greeting and is reserved for close friends, family and young children.
Greetings everyone	Здравствуйте всем	Zdravstvuyte vsem	Z-drAh-stvuy-tee fsyem	Listen	This can be used formally when opening an event with a large audience, like conference.
How are you? (formal)	Как дела	Kak dela	Kahk de-lAh	Listen	serves as a follow-up, typically used when you've met someone before. It seeks an update on their life, distinguishing itself culturally from the casual greeting "How are you" in English, which can be used upon initial meetings. In Russian, it's more specifically inquiring about recent developments.
Thank you	Спасибо	Spasibo	Spa-sEE-ba	Listen
Good morning	Доброе утро	Dobroe utro	DO-broye OO-trah	Listen
Good afternoon	Добрый день	Dobryy den	DO-bree dYEn’	Listen
Good evening	Добрый вечер	Dobryy vecher	DOb-ree vEh-cher	Listen
Good night	Спокойной ночи	Spokoynoy nochi	Spa-kOi-nai nO-chee	Listen	This conveys a "Sleep well" meaning. See below for 'Have a good night'.

Last modified: 13 December 2023