Also, the usage of “privet” is much more limited than its English equivalent. Now that you know Russian greetings, you should also learn to say bye in Russian… or how to say how are you in Russian. And it’s not a problem if you use it too, even if you are not a soldier.
You can use it in nearly all situations—when you meet a person for the first time, when you go shopping, when you visit a doctor, etc. Just like Доброе утро, these phrases can be used in any situation, formal or informal. If this Russian slang greeting sounds a little too close to English, that’s intentional. You might end up conversing with a Russian who knows how to speak English, and they might use khellou as a shorthand for trying to impress others with their language skills. The Russian version of welcome, s priezdom, is used sparingly by locals and doesn’t have the same applications as its English counterpart. You may, however, hear it extended by shopkeepers or as a formal greeting used in an official capacity to extend welcome.
You can most often hear it from kids or girls, or from adults saying it to kids. Доброе утро literally means ‘Good morning’, so you can use it to say ‘hello’ in the mornings. Just like in English, the mornings go from around 6AM to drosterhagen 12PM. I am an Italian expat who has been living and working in Moscow for over eight years. I created Russia in a Nutshell to give useful advice and insights into the language, culture and society of Russia in a simple and fun way.
Another way to say “hello” in Russian slang to be reserved for greeting your best friends, this word is a distorted form of the word “здравствуйте”. While it means “Hello”, it is not considered a particularly polite form of saying it. This is how to say “hello” in Russian informally. This is another trap in the land of Russian greetings (don’t worry, we’ll get to more safe words starting in a moment).
Believe it or not, but if you are a total beginner and you don’t know any Russian phrases or letters you will read Russian after watching that video. You can say привет in almost all informal situations. So say it to your friends, family , close colleagues, or people obviously younger than you. Formal – say these forms in most day-to-day situations. For example when you meet a store clerk, bus driver, or just say hello in Russian to someone you don’t know. It’s also good to say these forms to people that have a higher ‘status’ than you, such as when meeting a police officer, or a student to his professor.
If you’re looking for a ‘hello in Russian translation’, you will come up with different results and likely find yourself confused. (Fizkul`t-privet!)—“Hi” from the film “Джентльмены удачи” (Dzhentl`meny udachi). This is how Russians greet people who are training. As the film is a Soviet one, this greeting is used mostly by older people.