Russian Hello

One way to say Hello in the Russian lanuage: The first way to say is… Здравствуйте! This is pronounced “ZDRAST-vui-tyeh.” This is the Russian formal hello. You would say здравствуйте to:

1) Any adult you don’t know.

2) Anyone older than you who is NOT a relative.

3) Sometimes even to older relatives.

4) To your boss, even if he is younger than you.

5) To people who work in stores and shops, etc.

Russian for Hello Part 2

The second way to say Hello is… Здравствуй! (ZDRAST-vui) You would say zdrastvui to…
1) A child.

2) Your brother or sister.

3) Your friend. (To more than one friend, or any group of people, you must use zdrastvuityeh.)

4) Your girlfriend or wife, boyfriend or husband.

You only say zdrastvuityeh and zdrastvui to someone ONCE per day. After that, if you see the person again, even after a few hours, you would simply say nothing and smile, or, Ещё раз здравствуй(те). [Sounds like “yisho raz zdrastvui(teh).”] This means, “Once again, Hello.”

So, are you ready for your Final Exam? What should you say to this person?

Russian Hello for older woman

The answer is: Здравствуйте! / Zdrastvuiteh!

And to this person?

Hello in Russian to younger person

Здравствуй! / Zdrastvuiteh

That’s all you need to know about Hello in Russian…so…

…GOODBYE!

Don’t forget to listen to the video a few times to get down the correct way to pronounce it as well.

There’s a cool new video series available on the Russian Accelerator site called “The Seven Secrets to Learning Russian Fast.” I won’t spoil what they are, but I will encourage you to go check them out if you have even the slightest inkling that you want to learn some Russian. These seven secrets will save you countless hours that might be wasted by going about things the wrong way. And believe me, when it comes to learning Russian, there absolutely is a right way and a wrong way. Or at the very least, an inefficient way.

What are some of these inefficient ways of learning Russian? Well, people will try to memorize lists of words. Seems like a decent idea, right? What is language if not a bunch of words? You won’t get far. At best, you’ll end up capable of what’s known as Tarzan speak…You’ll be able to point to an object and name it, and perhaps say, “Want.” By memorizing lists of words, you could have deep conversations, like: “Apple. Want. Please.” Or, “Toilet. Where?” Not the stuff of memorable conversations. Really a better approach to learning Russian is with contextual learning.

Another mistake beginners make is obsessing over pronunciation. Sure, you need to speak clearly enough so that native speakers understand you, but there’s no reason to aspire to sounding like a native speaker. It’s highly unlikely your pronunciation will ever reach that — you’ll never fool a Russian person that you’re an actual native speaker. Instead, the goal should be to speak well enough for them to understand you.

But really, the glaring problem that beginners make — the one that really holds them back — is simply their overall approach to learning and studying. This is what the Seven Secrets to Learning Russian Fast series explains in detail. Again, without divulging the information in the videos, I can certainly explain where people fail: They have no system. They buy a few courses, they learn a few phrases, they listen to some tapes or mp3s….but there’s no solid game plan. Just a little here, a little there. That’s not the approach needed to tackle something as big and complex as the Russian language. Instead, you need a proven method. And that’s why I really recommend you check out those videos. They available for free at the moment, and all you need to do is register.

The Russian way to say Hello,  is not the only expression you will hear around here. No site on Russian greetings would be complete without teaching how to say: Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening. These are the equivalent of Russian hello, but are used at different times of day.

The word “good” in Russian is “dobri”, but, adjectives (like “good”) have to change to agree with the noun (like “moring or day).
A lot of the times this means the words have to rhyme, but not always. Anyway, that’s why you’ll see two versions of the word “dobri” in these phrases.

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Let’s learn the right way to say hello to a Russian woman.  Many older people might recall pictures of old Soviet politicians greeting each other with a kiss on the cheek. That might indeed be how Soviets greeted each other long ago, but not now! When meeting a Russian man, whether it’s the first time ever, or just the first time that day, a firm handshake and a “zdrastvuitye” is the most appropriate.

But more importantly, Russian for hello is different for men and how they should greet a Russian woman, especially for the first time. If the woman is just a friend — say, your fiance’s college friend — you can hug and or give her a peck on the cheek. (But not too much. Russian women are quick to jealousy!) But if this is a woman you’ve been corresponding with, with serious intentions between you, then you need to greet her with a warm hug and a kiss on the lips. Nothing too passionate. Quick and manly. (more…)