Key takeaways
- Wiktionary lists здравствуйте (zdravstvuyte) as the formal or plural hello and привет (privet) as informal 'hi'.
- Time-of-day greetings are доброе утро (good morning), добрый день (good day or afternoon) and добрый вечер (good evening).
- Wikipedia's T–V table gives вы as the unmarked norm for 'you' and ты as narrowly reserved for intimates.
- With a teacher or at a business meeting, address someone by first name and patronymic: Марья Ивановна.
- До свидания is goodbye; пока is a familiar 'bye'; очень приятно means 'pleased to meet you'.
Russian greetings split along one line more sharply than English ones do: whether you are on ты or вы terms with the other person. The formal hello, the informal one, the verb forms you use next and even how you say someone's name all follow from that choice. This reference covers the greetings, the two words for "you", the name-and-patronymic form of address, introductions and goodbyes. Romanisations use a simplified BGN/PCGN style and are a guide only; learn the Cyrillic, as the Cyrillic alphabet guide recommends.
Здравствуйте and привет
Wiktionary's entries draw the main line.
| Russian | Romanised | Register | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| здра́вствуйте | zdravstvuyte | formal, or to several people | hello |
| здра́вствуй | zdravstvuy | informal, one person | hello |
| приве́т | privet | informal, casual | hi |
| здоро́во | zdorovo | informal, casual | hi |
Здравствуйте is the safe default with anyone you do not know well, and because it is also the plural form, Wiktionary notes it works for a group. Grammatically, Wiktionary notes, it is the second-person plural imperative of the verb здра́вствовать. The stress falls on the first syllable, здра́.
Привет is the casual "hi"; Wiktionary labels it informal and casual, and lists пока as its opposite, the casual "bye".
Greetings by time of day
Wiktionary gives these without a register label, unlike привет.
| Russian | Romanised | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| до́брое у́тро | dobroye utro | good morning |
| до́брый день | dobryy den' | good day, good afternoon |
| до́брый ве́чер | dobryy vecher | good evening |
Notice that утро is neuter, so the adjective is доброе, while день and вечер are masculine, so it is добрый. Wiktionary also lists с до́брым у́тром, a form of "good morning" using the instrumental case.
Ты or вы
Wikipedia's table of T–V forms across languages describes Russian вы (vy) as the unmarked norm for "you", and ты (ty) as narrowly reserved for intimates, or for insults. In formal correspondence, the table adds, вы may be capitalised as Вы. Russian has phrases for the two states: быть на «ты», to be on ty terms, and быть на «вы», on vy terms.
Вы is also the ordinary plural "you" in the same table, so the вы world and the здравствуйте greeting line up: both serve a stranger and a group alike.
The casual follow-up question shows the same split. Wiktionary marks как дела́? (kak dela?), "how are things?", as familiar.
Name and patronymic
A full Russian name has three parts: given name, patronymic (from the father's given name) and surname. Wikipedia's article on East Slavic naming customs says the patronymic always follows the given name and is not like an English middle name.
It also explains when you need it: the patronymic is obligatory when addressing a person of higher social standing or on occasions such as business meetings. A pupil speaking to a teacher says Ма́рья Ива́новна, могу́ я спроси́ть…, "Marya Ivanovna, may I ask…". Not using it in such situations, the article says, is considered offensive.
Patronymics are built from the father's name with a masculine and a feminine ending.
| Father's name | Son's patronymic | Daughter's patronymic |
|---|---|---|
| Ivan | Ivanovich | Ivanovna |
| Vladimir | Vladimirovich | Vladimirovna |
| Nikolay | Nikolayevich | Nikolayevna |
| Ilya | Ilyich | Ilyinichna |
Wikipedia notes that in speech patronymics are commonly shortened, so Ivan Ivanovich may be said Ivan Ivanych, and this is not considered colloquial.
Three meetings, worked through
- A new colleague's manager, Ivan, whose father is Nikolay. Formal: Здра́вствуйте, Ива́н Никола́евич!, using the patronymic from the table. On meeting: О́чень прия́тно, "pleased to meet you", which Wiktionary gives with the synonym прия́тно познако́миться.
- A shop assistant in the evening. Neutral: До́брый ве́чер, and on leaving До свида́ния.
- A friend. Casual: Приве́т! Как дела́?, and on leaving Пока́!
Notice the difference in effort: formal здравствуйте has 12 letters to casual привет's 6, exactly twice as many, so it is worth practising the long one aloud until it comes out in one go.
Saying goodbye
- До свида́ния (do svidaniya): goodbye, see you later. Wiktionary lists it without a register label, so it suits anyone.
- Пока́ (poka): familiar "bye", "see you soon". Elsewhere пока means "for now" or "while".
- До встре́чи (do vstrechi): "until we meet", listed by Wiktionary as a synonym of до свидания.
Practising greetings
Regal - Learn Russian Language starts with the Cyrillic alphabet and then moves into greetings, with phrases that return through listening, matching and roleplays. It is one of our language-learning apps. Unstressed vowels change the sound of здравствуйте and до свидания, so see Russian vowel reduction, and compare the formal-informal split with Italian greetings.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
What is the formal way to say hello in Russian?
When do Russians use ty and when vy?
How do you address a Russian teacher?
What is the difference between poka and do svidaniya?
Sources
- здравствуйте (opens in a new tab)Wiktionary — accessed
- привет (opens in a new tab)Wiktionary — accessed
- пока (opens in a new tab)Wiktionary — accessed
- T–V distinction (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia — accessed
- East Slavic name (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia — accessed
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