[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n
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1. Hello (formal) \u2014 \u0417\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0432\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0443\u0439\u0442\u0435<\/h2>\n
Usage:<\/strong> Formal<\/p>\n The workhorse of Russian greetings, \u0437\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0432\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0443\u0439\u0442\u0435<\/strong> is the most common way to say hello. It may be a mouthful, but is definitely worth taking the time to learn.<\/p>\n \u0417\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0432\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0443\u0439\u0442\u0435 is often used in the most formal situations, and is used when addressing someone you don’t know, someone you respect, or in a professional setting. It can also be shortened to “\u0437\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0432\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0443\u0439” (zdravstvuy) in informal settings.<\/span><\/p>\n Additionally, if you’re speaking to a group,\u00a0\u0437\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0432\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0443\u0439\u0442\u0435 is also the preferred choice, since the verb form is meant to be used either in formal situations or when you’re speaking to more than one person.<\/p>\n Usage:<\/strong> Informal<\/p>\n \u0417\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0432\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0443\u0439<\/strong>, on the other hand, is the informal version of the same word, which you can use with friends or with children. However, when in doubt about the level of formality, always go with the formal \u0437\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0432\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0443\u0439\u0442\u0435.<\/p>\n Interestingly enough,\u00a0\u0437\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0432\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0443\u0439\u0442\u0435 and \u0437\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0432\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0443\u0439 actually come from the verb \u0437\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0432\u0441\u0442\u0432\u043e\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c, which means “to be healthy” or “to live long.” Now that’s a warm welcome!<\/p>\n Usage:<\/strong> Informal<\/p>\n If \u0437\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0432\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0443\u0439\u0442\u0435 is too much of a mouthful, you can also shorten it to \u0437\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0441\u044c\u0442\u0435<\/strong> as long as the situation isn’t too formal.<\/p>\n The level of formality might be for people who are a similar age or status as you, but you don’t know them extremely well, like the cashier at the store.<\/p>\n Note that this greeting is never used in writing!<\/p>\n Usage:<\/strong> On the phone<\/p>\n \u0410\u043b\u043b\u043e<\/strong> is also used to mean “hello.” However, this is most often used when answering the phone, and not<\/em> often used in other contexts.<\/p>\n Luckily for English speakers, this is a very easy Russian word to learn to remember and pronounce, because it sounds somewhat similar to English “hello.”<\/p>\n Usage: <\/strong>Informal<\/p>\n \u041f\u0440\u0438\u0432\u0435\u0442<\/strong> is the most common informal greeting. It’s used like the English word “hi.” Since it’s easy and common, you may find yourself using this one quite often with friends and peers.\u00a0<\/p>\n You can see the word written down in Russian cursive<\/a> in the featured image at the top of this post!<\/p>\n Usage<\/strong>: Informal, mostly for female speakers<\/p>\n \u041f\u0440\u0438\u0432\u0435\u0442\u0438\u043a<\/strong> is the diminutive of \u043f\u0440\u0438\u0432\u0435\u0442, so it’s an even less formal way of saying “hi.”<\/p>\n You might think of it as “hiya” or “howdy.” It’s most often used by women, so it may come across as feminine. That being said, it usually comes across as particularly sweet.<\/p>\n Usage:<\/strong> Informal as a standalone phrase mostly for young male speakers, formal when used in a sentence<\/p>\n Literally meaning “I greet you,” this is a greeting that comes from the verb \u043f\u0440\u0438\u0432\u0435\u0442\u0441\u0442\u0432\u043e\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c (to greet). It’s a moderately formal phrase used among males of all ages.<\/p>\n It may be used, for example, when addressing business partners or when the level of formality is somewhat ambiguous because it does work with both formal and informal “you,” unlike other options. So if you want to punt the pronoun choice onto the other side, this is one way to do it.<\/p>\n However, \u041f\u0440\u0438\u0432\u0435\u0442\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0443\u044e can also be used as a formal greeting or welcome. In this case, it’s used in a full sentence, as in \u042f \u043f\u0440\u0438\u0432\u0435\u0442\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0443\u044e \u0432\u0430\u0441<\/strong>, which means “I welcome you.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Usage:<\/strong> Informal, anglicized, with young people<\/p>\n \u0425\u0430\u044e\u0448\u043a\u0438<\/strong> is the diminutive take or cuter version of \u0445\u0430\u0439<\/strong>.<\/p>\n If you hang out with young, hip Russians, you may hear some greetings that sound deceptively familiar. That’s because they’re Anglicisms, meaning they were derived from common English-language greetings.<\/p>\n Usage:<\/strong> Informal, anglicized<\/p>\n If you like a good Anglicism, you may even encounter a few more.\u00a0\u042d\u0439<\/strong> (hey) and \u0439\u043e<\/strong> (yo) are also pronounced quite similarly to their American counterparts. You might also hear\u00a0\u0430\u043b\u043e\u0445\u0430 <\/strong>(aloha).<\/p>\n These greetings are less common in everyday use, so you’ll only hear them if you’re hanging out in the right crowd (generally younger and close friends).<\/p>\n Usage:<\/strong> Informal, mostly for male or young speakers<\/p>\n \u0417\u0434\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0432\u043e<\/strong> is an informal greeting that can be used like “hey” or “yo.” If \u041f\u0440\u0438\u0432\u0435\u0442\u0438\u043a<\/strong> is used more for women, then this one would also be more commonly used more men or young people in general. It can also be translated as “cool” or “awesome.”<\/span><\/p>\n It’s important to pay attention to context and the accent, though. When the stress is on the second<\/strong> \u043e<\/strong>, this is a greeting.<\/p>\n When the stress is on the first<\/strong> \u043e<\/strong>, it can also mean “wow” or “well done,” so always pay attention to stress and context. It could certainly be awkward if you use the wrong word!<\/p>\n This phrase can be made even more informal by reducing it to \u0434\u0430\u0440\u043e\u0444<\/strong>, which is slang used by close male friends and mostly for verbal communication.<\/p>\n Usage:<\/strong> Informal (when you’ve just woken up), formal (when referring to morning hours)<\/p>\n \u0414\u043e\u0431\u0440\u043e\u0435 \u0443\u0442\u0440\u043e<\/strong> means “good morning” and can be used as a formal greeting. Not too surprisingly, you should try to restrict your use of this greeting to morning hours.<\/p>\n Since it literally means “good morning,” you can also use it with friends and family when you’ve just woken up as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n Usage:<\/strong> Formal<\/p>\n \u0414\u043e\u0431\u0440\u044b\u0439 \u0434\u0435\u043d\u044c<\/strong> is a formal greeting that means “good day.” This can be used late morning through the afternoon. It’s the greeting you should use when you enter a shop or say hello to someone working in the post office, grocery store or bank.<\/p>\n Usage:<\/strong> Formal<\/p>\n \u0414\u043e\u0431\u0440\u044b\u0439 \u0432\u0435\u0447\u0435\u0440<\/strong> is a formal greeting that means “good evening.” It’s used during evening hours but once the evening progresses into night, say around 10 p.m., you’ll want to use the next greeting on our list.<\/p>\n Usage:<\/strong> Formal, used as a greeting<\/p>\n \u0414\u043e\u0431\u0440\u043e\u0439 \u043d\u043e\u0447\u0438<\/strong> is a formal phrase literally meaning “good night” but not the before-going-to-bed kind.<\/p>\n You can use it as a greeting at night or in the early morning while it’s still dark out. You can also use it as a farewell. It’s not as common as the greetings previously, though, so keep that in mind.<\/p>\n Usage:<\/strong> General<\/p>\n \u0414\u043e\u0431\u0440\u043e \u043f\u043e\u0436\u0430\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c<\/strong> means “welcome.” It can be used formally or informally, just like the English word “welcome.” You’ll use this to welcome someone to your house or a party, for example, or even to a restaurant, say, if you’re hosting a birthday party there.<\/p>\n Usage:<\/strong> After travel<\/p>\n \u0421 \u043f\u0440\u0438\u0435\u0437\u0434\u043e\u043c\u00a0<\/strong>is another form of “welcome” that you might use when someone is arriving after a long journey or travel.<\/p>\n The meaning is that you’re literally congratulating someone for their arrival, so it indicates that you’re happy to see them. This would be especially useful if a friend or family member is returning from a longer trip.<\/p>\n Usage:<\/strong> After a flight<\/p>\n The equivalent of someone arriving after travel, but specifically after a flight would be\u00a0\u0421 \u043f\u0440\u0438\u043b\u0451\u0442\u043e\u043c. <\/strong><\/p>\n The word\u00a0\u043f\u0440\u0438\u043b\u0451\u0442 <\/strong>means arrival by air and might be a good one to use when meeting someone at the airport.\u00a0<\/p>\n Usage:<\/strong> Male speaker, informal<\/p>\n This phrase offers a lot of options. The basic gist is “nice to see you.” However, variations are used to indicate your gender and to change the level of formality.<\/p>\n Men would use \u0440\u0430\u0434<\/strong>, while women would say\u00a0\u0440\u0430\u0434\u0430<\/strong>. If the situation is formal, you’d use\u00a0\u0432\u0430\u0441<\/strong>, but you can also use\u00a0\u0442\u0435\u0431\u044f<\/strong> in informal situations. Here are the three other variations of this phrase:<\/p>\n Usage:<\/strong> Informal<\/p>\n This one doesn’t have a direct equivalent in English and literally means “Oh, what people!”<\/p>\n It’s an enthusiastic way of showing how happy you are once you’ve accidentally run into someone you weren’t expecting to see. It also serves as an informal “Long time no see!”<\/p>\n Usage:<\/strong> Informal<\/p>\n Another one to indicate how happy you are to see someone, \u0421\u043a\u043e\u043b\u044c\u043a\u043e \u043b\u0435\u0442, \u0441\u043a\u043e\u043b\u044c\u043a\u043e \u0437\u0438\u043c! <\/strong>is a bit more of a theatrical declaration to indicate just how long you haven’t seen someone.<\/p>\n It literally means “How many years, how many winters!” but can also be translated as “How many summers, how many winters!” playing on the double meaning of the word “\u043b\u0435\u0442.” It’s a much more poetic way of saying “Long time no see.”<\/p>\n Usage:\u00a0<\/strong>Nostalgic Soviet term often used as a throwback or joke<\/p>\n \u0417\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0432\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0443\u0439\u0442\u0435, \u0442\u043e\u0432\u0430\u0440\u0438\u0449 <\/strong><\/span>is a formal way of saying “hello, comrade” in Russian and it was commonly used during the Soviet era.<\/span><\/p>\n It’s not commonly used today, except in certain nostalgic or ironic contexts. If you say it, chances are the person on the receiving end will take it as a joke. Be careful with this phrase, though, because there’s a chance that an older person could find your use of it offensive.<\/span><\/p>\n Usage:\u00a0<\/strong>With friends and acquaintances, usually online<\/p>\n \u0417\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0441\u0442\u0438<\/strong>\u00a0is a very casual and quite informal way of saying “hello” in Russian, and is most often used among friends or acquaintances. <\/span><\/p>\n It’s important to note that it’s not considered a proper word in Russian, and some people may consider it rude or uneducated because of this. It’s usually spelled this way only online, and mainly used by younger people.<\/span><\/p>\n Usage:\u00a0<\/strong>When entering a room or meeting someone<\/p>\n \u0421\u0430\u043b\u044e\u0442 <\/strong><\/span>is a casual and informal way to say “hello” in Russian that can be used among friends and in informal settings. <\/span><\/p>\n It can also be used as a general greeting when entering a room or meeting someone for the first time, such as a on blind date or at a friend’s party.<\/span><\/p>\n Still not convinced why you need so many Russian greetings? Here are a few reasons for learning them:<\/p>\n If you’d like to see Russian greetings in context, FluentU<\/a> is a language learning program that uses video content to teach Russian words and a variety of other everyday speech.\u00a0<\/p>\n FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n <\/p>\r\n You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n2. Hello (informal) \u2014 \u0417\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0432\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0443\u0439<\/h2>\n
3. Hello (informal, shortened) \u2014 \u0417<\/strong>\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0441\u044c\u0442\u0435<\/strong><\/h2>\n
4. Hello (on the phone) \u2014 A\u043b\u043b\u043e<\/a><\/h2>\n
5. Hi \u2014 \u041f\u0440\u0438\u0432\u0435\u0442<\/h2>\n
6. Hiya, howdy \u2014 \u041f\u0440\u0438\u0432\u0435\u0442\u0438\u043a<\/h2>\n
7. Greetings \u2014 \u041f\u0440\u0438\u0432\u0435\u0442\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0443\u044e<\/h2>\n
8. Hi \u2014 \u0445\u0430\u0439, <\/strong>\u0425\u0430\u044e\u0448\u043a\u0438<\/h2>\n
9. Hey \u2014 \u042d\u0439, Yo \u2014 \u0419\u043e<\/h2>\n
10. Hey, yo \u2014 \u0417\u0434\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0432\u043e<\/h2>\n
11. Good morning \u2014 \u0414\u043e\u0431\u0440\u043e\u0435 \u0443\u0442\u0440\u043e<\/h2>\n
12. Good day \u2014 \u0414\u043e\u0431\u0440\u044b\u0439 \u0434\u0435\u043d\u044c<\/h2>\n
13. Good evening \u2014 \u0414\u043e\u0431\u0440\u044b\u0439 \u0432\u0435\u0447\u0435\u0440<\/h2>\n
14. Good night \u2014 \u0414\u043e\u0431\u0440\u043e\u0439 \u043d\u043e\u0447\u0438<\/h2>\n
15. Welcome \u2014 \u0414\u043e\u0431\u0440\u043e \u043f\u043e\u0436\u0430\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c<\/h2>\n
16. Welcome (after travel) \u2014 \u0421 \u043f\u0440\u0438\u0435\u0437\u0434\u043e\u043c<\/h2>\n
17. Welcome (after a flight) \u2014 \u0421 \u043f\u0440\u0438\u043b\u0451\u0442\u043e\u043c<\/h2>\n
18. I’m happy to see you \u2014\u00a0\u0420\u0430\u0434 \u0442\u0435\u0431\u044f \u0432\u0438\u0434\u0435\u0442\u044c<\/h2>\n
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19. Oh, what people! \u2014 \u041e, \u043a\u0430\u043a\u0438\u0435 \u043b\u044e\u0434\u0438!<\/h2>\n
20. Long time no see! \u2014\u00a0\u0421\u043a\u043e\u043b\u044c\u043a\u043e \u043b\u0435\u0442, \u0441\u043a\u043e\u043b\u044c\u043a\u043e \u0437\u0438\u043c!<\/h2>\n
21. Hello, Comrade \u2014 \u0417\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0432\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0443\u0439\u0442\u0435, \u0442\u043e\u0432\u0430\u0440\u0438\u0449<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
22. Hello! (online) \u2014 \u0417\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0441\u0442\u0438<\/strong><\/h2>\n
23. Hello \u2014 \u0421\u0430\u043b\u044e\u0442<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
Why Learn a Variety of Russian Greetings?<\/h2>\n
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