How to Say "Good Night" in Russian
"Good night" in Russian is спокойной ночи (spokóynoy nóchi) - literally "(have) a peaceful night". It is the phrase you use to part ways at night or to wish someone well before bed.
In Russian
spokóynoy nóchi - good night
Variants & registers
- доброй ночиdóbroy nóchi
good night - a softer, less common alternative
neutral - сладких сновsládkikh snov
sweet dreams - a warm add-on
affectionate - приятных сновpriyátnykh snov
pleasant dreams
neutral - спи спокойноspi spokóyno
sleep well - informal, to one person
informal
Breakdown & pronunciation
Word by word
- спокойнойspokóynoypeaceful / calm (genitive)
- ночиnóchinight (genitive)
Pronunciation
Say spa-KOY-nay NO-chi. спокойной is stressed on the second syllable (KOY) and ночи on the first (NO). The unstressed о letters soften to an "a" sound.
Example sentences
Спокойной ночи! Сладких снов.
Spokóynoy nóchi! Sládkikh snov.
Good night! Sweet dreams.
Уже поздно, спокойной ночи.
Uzhé pózdno, spokóynoy nóchi.
It's late, good night.
Спокойной ночи, мама.
Spokóynoy nóchi, máma.
Good night, mom.
Спи спокойно, увидимся утром.
Spi spokóyno, uvídimsya útrom.
Sleep well, see you in the morning.
Usage & etiquette
спокойной ночи is in the genitive case because it is short for «желаю тебе спокойной ночи» ("I wish you a peaceful night") - the verb желать ("to wish") takes the genitive. You never need the full version; the two words are enough.
Pair it with сладких снов ("sweet dreams") for warmth. доброй ночи exists too, but спокойной ночи is by far the more common way to say good night.
Practice
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