Russian Greetings: Ways to Say Hello (and Goodbye)
Greetings are the first thing you say in any conversation, and Russian has a clear formal/informal split that makes a real impression when you get it right. This guide covers every greeting you need - hello, the times of day, goodbye, and how are you - with audio, usage notes and flashcards.
Practice deck
1 / 11How to say hello: привет vs здравствуйте
Russian has two core ways to say hello. привет (privét) is the casual "hi" you use with friends, family and peers - anyone you address as ты. здравствуйте (zdrávstvuyte) is the polite, formal hello for strangers, elders, officials and anyone you address as вы.
здравствуйте looks intimidating, but the first в is silent: say ZDRA-stvuy-tye. There is also a singular form, здравствуй (zdrávstvuy), used with one person you are semi-familiar with. When you are unsure which to use, default to здравствуйте - being too polite is never a mistake.
| Russian | Translit. | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| привет | privét | hi (informal) | |
| здравствуй | zdrávstvuy | hello (to one person, familiar) | |
| здравствуйте | zdrávstvuyte | hello (formal / plural) | |
| доброе утро | dóbroye útro | good morning | |
| добрый день | dóbryy den | good afternoon / good day | |
| добрый вечер | dóbryy vécher | good evening | |
| алло | alló | hello? (on the phone) |
Good morning, afternoon and evening
The time-of-day greetings are warm, polite and easy: доброе утро (dóbroye útro) for good morning, добрый день (dóbryy den) for good afternoon or good day, and добрый вечер (dóbryy vécher) for good evening. They work in both formal and informal situations.
Notice that the adjective changes ending to agree with its noun: доброе утро (the neuter утро) but добрый день and добрый вечер (masculine). Of the three, добрый день is the most useful all-rounder - it covers most of the day and fits almost any setting.
How are you? Как дела? and how to reply
The everyday "how are you?" is как дела? (kak delá), literally "how are (your) affairs?". To one friend you can also say как ты? (kak ty); formally or to several people, как вы? (kak vy). Unlike the English greeting, Russians often mean it as a real question.
Have a reply ready. From best to worst: отлично (great), хорошо (good), нормально (okay/fine), так себе (so-so), плохо (bad). A natural full answer is хорошо, спасибо, а у тебя? ("good, thanks, and you?") - returning the question keeps the conversation going.
| Russian | Translit. | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| как дела? | kak delá? | how are you? (informal) | |
| как ты? | kak ty? | how are you? (to one friend) | |
| как вы? | kak vy? | how are you? (formal / plural) | |
| отлично | otlíchno | great (reply) | |
| хорошо | khoroshó | good (reply) | |
| нормально | normálno | okay / fine (reply) | |
| так себе | tak sebé | so-so (reply) | |
| а у тебя? | a u tebyá? | and you? (informal) |
How to say goodbye: до свидания vs пока
The standard, polite goodbye is до свидания (do svidániya), literally "until (our next) meeting". Use it with strangers, at work and in shops. With friends, the casual choice is пока (poká), often doubled for warmth: пока-пока.
In between sit до встречи (do vstréchi) and увидимся (uvídimsya), both meaning roughly "see you". For a specific time use до завтра ("see you tomorrow"). When parting at night, спокойной ночи ("good night") replaces a plain goodbye.
| Russian | Translit. | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| до свидания | do svidániya | goodbye (formal) | |
| пока | poká | bye (informal) | |
| до встречи | do vstréchi | see you / until we meet | |
| увидимся | uvídimsya | see you (soon) | |
| до завтра | do závtra | see you tomorrow | |
| спокойной ночи | spokóynoy nóchi | good night | |
| всего доброго | vsegó dóbrogo | all the best (polite) |
Example sentences
Привет! Как дела?
Privét! Kak delá?
Hi! How are you?
Здравствуйте! Рад вас видеть.
Zdrávstvuyte! Rad vas vídet.
Hello! Glad to see you.
Как дела? - Хорошо, спасибо, а у тебя?
Kak delá? - Khoroshó, spasíbo, a u tebyá?
How are you? - Good, thanks, and you?
До свидания! Хорошего дня.
Do svidániya! Khoróshego dnya.
Goodbye! Have a nice day.
Пока! Увидимся завтра.
Poká! Uvídimsya závtra.
Bye! See you tomorrow.
FAQ
How do you say hello in Russian?
What is the difference between привет and здравствуйте?
How do you say goodbye in Russian?
How do you answer Как дела?
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Make these greetings second nature
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