32 Common Greetings in Russian – How to Start a Communication

Are you planning to travel in Russia which is the largest country in earth ? Unfortunately you don’t understand their language and that makes one of your concern before going to Russia. Travelling or study abroad are a major choice of anyone, not only to gain education or visiting remarkable spot of those country but learning their language as well. In order not to get lost, you have to at least getting know how to greet some people you meet in Russia along the way to ask about direction or anything else.

Greeeting is an communication between human being to start a conversation and to getting know each other. Good communcation happened from properly greeting, so it’s important to understand well about greeting not only with your native language, but also if you are travelling to other country it is important to know their proper greetings to start a conversation and makes first impression.

In that case, you don’t have to worry about getting lost for not knowing how to start a conversation with Russian. This article provides you common greetings in Russian that most tourist able to use to greet people in Russia.  Here we provide you forms of basic greetings in Russian to start a conversation, completed with writing example, pronounciation and translation of each words.

[table]

[tr][th]Russian[/th] [th]Pronounciation[/th] [th]Translation[/th][/tr]

[tr][td]Здравствуйте![/td] [td]Zdrastuiyce![/td] [td]Hello (formal)[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Привет[/td] [td]Privyet[/td] [td]Hello (non formal)[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Доброе утро[/td] [td]Dobroye utra[/td] [td]Good morning[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Добрый день[/td] [td]Dobriy jyen[/td] [td]Good afternoon[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Добрый вечер[/td] [td]Dobriy vyecher[/td] [td]Good evening[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Как поживаете?[/td] [td]Kak pozhivayete[/td] [td]How are you? (formal)[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Как поживаешь?[/td] [td]Kak pozhivaesh'[/td] [td]How are you? (non formal)[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Как дела?[/td] [td]Kak jyela[/td] [td]How are you doing? (non formal)[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Как у Вас дела?[/td] [td]Kak u vas jyela?[/td] [td]How are you doing (formal)[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]А у Вас?[/td] [td]A u vas?[/td] [td]And you? (reply how are you, formal)[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]А Ты?[/td] [td]A ty?[/td] [td]And you? (reply how are you, non formal)[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Как Вас зовут?[/td] [td]Kak vas zavut?[/td] [td]What’s your name? (formal)[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Как Тебя зовут?[/td] [td]Kak tebya zavut?[/td] [td]What’s your name? (non formal)[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Меня зовут…[/td] [td]Menya zavut…[/td] [td]My name is…[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Приятно познакомиться[/td] [td]Priyatna poznakomit’sya[/td] [td]Nice to know you[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Познакомьтесь пожалуйста[/td] [td]Poznakomites’ pozhaluiysta[/td] [td]Let me introduce you or introducing yourself[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Рад Вас видеть[/td] [td]Rad vas vidjyet'[/td] [td]Nice to meet you (formal, male)[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Рада Вас видеть[/td] [td]Rada vas vidjyet'[/td] [td]Nice to meet you (formal, female)[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Рад Тебя видеть[/td] [td]Rad tebya vidjyet'[/td] [td]Nice to meet you (non formal, male)[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Рада Тебя видеть[/td] [td]Rada tebya vidjyet'[/td] [td]Nice to meet you (non formal, female)[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Я тоже рад Вас/Тебя видеть[/td] [td]Ya tozhe rad vas/tebya vidjyet'[/td] [td]Nice to meet you too (male)[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Я тоже рада Вас/Тебя видеть[/td] [td]Ya tozhe rada vas/tebya vidjyet'[/td] [td]Nice to meet you too (female)[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Спасибо[/td] [td]Spasibo[/td] [td]Thank you[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Большое спасибо[/td] [td]Bol’shoye spasibo[/td] [td]Thank you very much[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Пожалуйста[/td] [td]Pozhaluiysta[/td] [td]Please/you welcome[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Не за что[/td] [td]Nye za shto[/td] [td]That’s all right[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Извините[/td] [td]Izvinitye[/td] [td]Excuse me[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Простите[/td] [td]Prostitye[/td] [td]Sorry[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]До свидания![/td] [td]Dasvidaniya![/td] [td]Good bye! (formal)[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Пока![/td] [td]Paka![/td] [td]Bye! (non formal)[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]До завтра[/td] [td]Dazavtra[/td] [td]See you tomorrow[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Скоро удивимся[/td] [td]Skora udivimsya[/td] [td]See you soon[/td][/tr]

[/table]

We already described about common greetings used in Russian at table above. To improve your pronounciation and enrich your vocabulary, here are some further information and examples of those greetings in sentences :

Здравствуйте, доброе утро Маша! как дела?
(Zdrastuiyce, dobroye utra Masya! Kak jyela?)
Hello, good morning Masha! How are you doing?

Доброе утро Ольга! Я хорошо, а Ты!
(Dobroe utra Olga, ya kharasho, a Tiy?)
Good morning Olga, I’m good, and you?

Я все отличноРада Тебя видеть
(ya vsyo otliychno, rada Tebya vidjyet’)
I am very good too, it’s nice to meet you.

Я должно хожу в классу сейчас Ольга, пока!
(ya dolzhno khozhu v klassu seychas Ol’ga, poka!)
I have to go to class now Olga, see you!

Xорошего дня Маша, пока!
(kharoshewo dnya Masya, poka!)
Have a nice day Masha, see you too!

Sentence from example above is a common or non formal greeting that usually happened in a college or school environment. Next, look at the example below of how to greet people to ask for direction :

Извините пожалуйста, где находится гостиница “Moon”?
(Izvinitye pozhaluiysta, gjye nakhoditsya gotinitsa “Moon”?)
Excuse me, please tell me where is the location of hotel “Moon”?

Идите приямо, Вы будете видеть кино. Патом поверните направо. Недалеко от этого находитcя гостиница “Moon”.
(Ijite priyamo, Biy budyete vidyet’ kino. Patom povyernite napravo. Nyedaleko ot etawo nakhoditsya gastinitsa “Moon”)
Go straight, you will find a movie theater. Then turn right. not far from that you will see hotel “Moon”

Большое спасибо
(Balshoye spasibo)
Thank you very much.

Не за что
(Nye za shto)
That’s not a problem.

That’s all lists of useful common greetings in Russian that you can use to start a conversation. Make sure you read How to Learn Russian for Beginners for information and guide about introduction of Rusian language. Remember to keep practicing because learning language will be blunt if you are not honing your language skill regularly.

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