Hello, How Are You & Goodbye in Russian: What Natives Actually Say

Most textbooks teach you one way to say hello, one way to ask "how are you" and one way to answer. Then you meet a real Russian, and they often say things a little differently. This guide covers the most common greetings you'll actually hear — formal and casual, in person, on the phone and in texts — plus the mistakes that instantly make you sound like a textbook.

The short answer

If you only remember five phrases, make it these:

The rule behind all of it: use вы-forms with strangers, at work and with older people, and ты-forms with friends and family.

Formal or informal? Ты vs вы in 30 seconds

Russian has two words for "you": ты (informal, one person) and вы (formal, or more than one person). Your greeting has to match.

Not sure? Start with вы and Здравствуйте. Russians will tell you when it's time to switch to ты — you'll often hear «Давай на ты» ("Let's use ты").

How to say hello in Russian

Здравствуйте — the formal hello

ZDRAST-vooy-tye. This is the one to use with anyone you don't know well. Don't panic about the spelling: the first в is silent, and in fast speech the word shrinks even more (more on that below).

Здравствуй (ZDRAST-vooy) is the singular, informal version. It exists, but you'll rarely hear it — most people go straight to Привет.

Привет — the everyday hi

pree-VYET. For friends, classmates and colleagues your age. It's warm but casual, so don't use it with your boss or a stranger.

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening

Добрый день is a great neutral choice: polite, but less stiff than Здравствуйте. You'll hear it in shops, offices and on the phone all day long.

Note what's missing: there's no "good night" greeting. Доброй ночи and Спокойной ночи are both ways to say goodnight — when you leave, not when you arrive.

What natives actually say

This is where textbooks stop and real life begins:

Careful with the stress: здоро́во (zda-RO-va) is a greeting, but здо́рово (ZDO-ra-va) means "great!"

How to say "How are you?" in Russian

One cultural note: in English, "How are you?" is part of saying hello and nobody expects a real answer. In Russian, Как дела? is a real question. People ask it when they actually want to know — so you won't hear it from a cashier, and a friend might give you an honest, detailed answer.

How to answer «Как дела?» without sounding like a textbook

Textbooks teach you Хорошо, спасибо. А у вас? ("Good, thanks. And you?"). It's correct — and it's also how you instantly sound like you learned Russian from a book. Here's what people actually say:

Then bounce the question back with А у тебя? / А у вас? ("And you?") or simply А ты?

Why нормально is everywhere: Russians don't like to overstate. "Fine" is a perfectly happy answer. Fedor explains it in a minute:

How to say goodbye in Russian

And then there's Давай! — literally "come on / let's", but at the end of a phone call it simply means "bye". You'll often hear Ну всё, давай, пока! ("Right, OK, bye!"):

On the phone and in texts

• Алло (a-LO) — what Russians say when they pick up the phone. At work you may hear Слушаю (SLOO-sha-yu, "I'm listening") or just Да?
• In texts, greetings get short: прив (hi), ку (hi, from internet slang), пок (bye), споки (night-night).

5 mistakes that make you sound like a textbook

1. Saying «Привет» to your boss or a stranger. It's too familiar. Use Здравствуйте or Добрый день.
2. Using «Доброй ночи» as a greeting. It means "good night" — you say it when you leave.
3. Saying «Здравствуйте» to friends. It sounds cold and distant, as if you've just met. With friends, it's Привет.
4. Saying «Прощай» for everyday goodbyes. Прощай means "farewell forever" — it's for breakups and movie scenes. Stick to Пока or До свидания.
5. Asking a cashier «Как дела?». In Russia that's a personal question. A simple Здравствуйте and Спасибо, до свидания is perfect.

Two mini-dialogues

At a café (formal, вы):

— Здравствуйте! (Hello!)
— Добрый день! Что будете заказывать? (Good afternoon! What would you like?)
— Капучино, пожалуйста. (A cappuccino, please.)
— Пожалуйста, ваш кофе. (Here's your coffee.)
— Спасибо! Всего доброго! (Thanks! All the best!)
— До свидания! (Goodbye!)

Meeting a friend (informal, ты):

— Привет! Как дела? (Hi! How are you?)
— Норм, потихоньку. А у тебя? (Fine, can't complain. And you?)
— Да тоже нормально. Что нового? (Fine too. What's new?)
— Да ничего особенного. Слушай, мне пора. (Nothing special. Listen, I've got to go.)
— Давай, пока! (OK, bye!)
— Пока-пока! (Bye-bye!)

Your next step

Greetings are your first 10 seconds in Russian. What comes next — small talk, talking about yourself, keeping a conversation going — is where most learners get stuck.

• Already know these phrases? Take the free level test and get a personal learning plan.
• Want to keep going? Read 10 Russian Phrases to Avoid Awkward Silence, How to Talk About Yourself in Russian and Sorry in Russian, or start with 20 essential beginner words.
• Ready to speak from day one? Try BeFluent free for 3 days — short daily lessons that take you from your first «Привет» to real conversations.