Russian phrasebook
Phrases in Russian with audio and video
Greetings and Farewells
Probably the first word anyone ever says in Russian (or in any other language) is "hello". And you'll listen to it here. There are different greetings you can use (hello, good morning, good afternoon...) and also different farewells (bye, good night, all the best,...). With help of our video, texts and recordings you'll be able to learn and remember all these phrases.
Part 1: Video
Summary of this topic with images and sound:
Watch the most important words and phrases of this topic below.
Part 2: Audio and explanations
Listen to the audio, read the explanations and get ready to learn real Russian.
How to say hello in Russian
"Hello" is a greeting that we can use in any moment, day or night. In Russian we have two ways of saying hello. The only difference is that one form mostly used in formal situations while the other one is suitable for more informal contexts:
Здра́вствуйте.
zdrást-vuj-tye
Hello.
We'll use this "hello" with strangers, old people (even if we know them) or with clients. That is, we'll use it in formal contexts.
Приве́т.
pri-vyét
Hello / Hi.
We'll use this "hello" with friends or children. Your common sense will tell you in which other situations you can use it.
Good morning/good night
A word like "hello" is very useful. But it's good to know what greetings we can use during the day, afternoon, evening,... specially if we work in a place such as a restaurant or a hotel where there are Russian clients:
До́брое у́тро.
dó-bra-ye ú-tra
Good morning.
До́брый день.
dó-bryj dyen
Good day / good afternoon.
This literally means "good day". We can use it during most part of the day, for example, during the usual office hours of 9am to 5pm. As a rule of thumb, you can use it from 10am until the moment when you would say "good evening".
До́брый ве́чер.
dó-bryj vyé-chyer
Good evening.
Споко́йной но́чи.
spa-kój-naj nó-chi
Good night.
Russian farewells
It's time to say goodbye. Maybe we'll meet later, or tomorrow, or some other day... Here we have different options to use in a wide range of situations, from a simple bye to wishing someone a nice trip:
Пока́.
pa-ká
Bye
This is a rather informal word to use mostly with friends. As a rule of thumb, you can use пока (bye) with the people you say привет (hi)
До свида́ния.
da svi-dá-ni-ya
Goodbye/See you soon.
It literally means "until (the next) meeting". You can use this in both formal and informal contexts. If you don't know whether or not you can say “пока”, always play safe and use “до свидания”.
Now we're going to see other ways of saying goodbye. They can all be used with the meaning of "see you". That is, with people that we'll be meeting soon (tomorrow, in a few days, weeks,...):
До (ско́рой) встре́чи.
da (skó-raj) fstryé-chi
See you (soon).
Уви́димся.
u-ví-dim-sya
See you.
Всего́ хоро́шего.
fsye-vó ha-ró-she-va
All the best.
Two particular situations. A farewell to someone we'll meet tomorrow and when we wish a nice trip:
До за́втра.
da záf-tra
See you tomorrow.
Счастли́вого пути́.
schas-lí-va-va pu-tí
Have a nice trip/have a safe journey.
