Hello is the first word generally we say to greet. It is an informal way to address anyone and can also be used as hi or hey. It’s a usual way to greet your friends or family members informally. how to sell my penthouse barcelona We have a different word for hello if we want to welcome formally. On the contrary, most Russians will appreciate it a lot that you’re taking the time and effort to learn Russian.
A fluent, competent Russian speaker or you simply want to pick up some basic Russian phrases for travel, like I did. Learning a handful of formal and informal Russian greetings and farewells is a good start. Здравствуйте is the safest bet when you find yourself in a formal situation.
After every greeting I’ll quickly discuss what it means (literal meaning & English equivalent) and in which situations you can use it. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines a greeting as a salutation at meeting. Just like in English, you can say the following Russian greetings whenever you meet a Russian person. But for those who aren’t ready yet, it’s a good idea to look into 15 alternative Russian greetings. Meghan Jones is a word nerd who has been writing for RD.com since 2017. You can find her byline on pieces about grammar, fun facts, the meanings of various head-scratching words and phrases, and more.
This is the most common way to say “goodbye” in Russian. The same as “hello”, it can be used safely in all kinds of situations . This greeting is likely the last one that a Russian person would expect from a foreigner. If you haven’t seen someone for a very long time, you can say “how many summers, how many winters”, to signify how many years it has since you’ve last seen each other. If you’ve ever been to Russia, you’ve seen this every time you enter a city, region or village. It’s a formal way of saying “welcome”, but you can use it in any informal situation as well.
It is best saved for greeting children or your best pals. I was doubting whether to include this here, as it’s not really a Russian greeting. Just like in English, “goodnight” in Russian is more often used to wish someone a good night of sleep.
If you ask a Russian to repeat the full word 10 times as fast as he can, you’ll end up with Здрасте. While this is way easier to pronounce, it also loses some of its formality, so that’s why it’s here in the informal greeting list. Alter your greeting to reflect the time of the day.
One of the first things every English speaker learns in Russian is cultural differences. The crucial source of confusion for native English speakers is how to address people in different formal and informal situations. Often, language learners struggle with saying “Hello” and other basic greetings in Russian. Здрасте is the shortened version of Здравствуйте.
Use these formal greetings in the same situations as “Здравствуйте”, choosing your greeting depending on the time of day – morning, day, or evening. This popular greeting means, of course, “hello”. It is a familiar and informal word to be used in casual settings, with friends or family. If you search for ‘hello Russian’, this is the answer you will get!