How to Say "Please" in Russian

"Please" in Russian is пожалуйста (pozháluysta). It is the politeness workhorse of the language: the same word means both "please" and "you're welcome", so it pays to nail it early.

In Russian

пожалуйста

pozháluysta - please / you're welcome

Variants & registers

будьте добрыbúdte dobrý
would you be so kind - a very polite request opener
formal
прошуproshú
I ask / please - a bit formal or pleading
formal
пожалуйстаpozháluysta
you're welcome - the same word, as a reply to thanks
neutral

Breakdown & pronunciation

Pronunciation

пожалуйста is famously not said the way it is spelled. The middle is swallowed: po-ZHA-lus-ta or even po-ZHAL-sta in fast speech. Stress is on the ЖА. Do not try to pronounce every letter.

Exemples de phrases

Чай, пожалуйста.
Chay, pozháluysta.
Tea, please.
Повторите, пожалуйста.
Povtoríte, pozháluysta.
Please repeat that.
Спасибо! - Пожалуйста.
Spasíbo! - Pozháluysta.
Thank you! - You're welcome.
Дайте, пожалуйста, воды.
Dáyte, pozháluysta, vodý.
Please give me some water.

Usage & etiquette

пожалуйста does double duty: tacked onto a request it means "please"; said in reply to спасибо it means "you're welcome". Same spelling, same pronunciation - the context tells you which.

For an extra-polite request you can open with будьте добры ("would you be so kind") and still finish with пожалуйста. In everyday situations пожалуйста alone is perfectly polite.

Practice

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FAQ

How do you say "please" in Russian?

"Please" in Russian is пожалуйста (pozháluysta). The middle is swallowed in speech, so it sounds like po-ZHA-lus-ta.

Does пожалуйста also mean "you're welcome"?

Yes. The same word, пожалуйста, means "please" in a request and "you're welcome" as a reply to thanks (спасибо).

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