1. Hello (formal) — Здравствуйте The workhorse of Russian greetings, здравствуйте is the most common way to say hello. It may be a mouthful, but is definitely worth taking the time to learn.
People give the appropriate formal greeting depending on what time of day it is: “Dobroe utro” (Good morning), “Dobriy den” (Good afternoon) or “Dobriy vecher” (Good evening). A more casual greeting is “Privet” (Hi).
7. Formal way hello – Здравствуйте (Zdravstvuyte) This is the safest, most neutral, and more formal way to say hello in Russian. You can use it in conversations with a person you are less familiar with.
“Hi” in Russian – Привет (privyet)
It's easy to say and chances are you'll get it right on your first or second try. Even though it's officially considered an informal way of saying hello, you can get away with in many cases. For example, saying “hi” to friends, family, or even casual acquaintances.
Russian usually shake hands when greeting one another. The famous bear hugs and kisses are usually reserved for good friends and family members after a long time without seeing one another. Russian men usually shake hands with a firm grip. When men and women shakes hands men adopt a gentle grip.
Interjection. до́бре • (dóbre) OK, all right.
The Russian equivalent for Cheers! is За здоровье! [za zda-ró-vye].
In Russia, authority figures and elders are carefully extended courtesy in public life, including formality of address. As such, you should never use privyet (pree-vyet), the Russian version of “hi” or ”hey, there” with anyone but intimate friends or family members.
“Привет” (privet) is another common greeting in Russian that can be heard everywhere. Use it while talking to friends or peers. This is an informal greeting, and the English translation of “привет” (privet) is “hi.”
приветствие {n} salute (also: greeting, salutation, welcome, accost, halloa, hallo) салют {m}
Kak Moya is a Russian term that translates to how mine or how my in English.
До свидания (Da svidania) - “Goodbye” in Russian.
Пока! This phrase should only be used if you are well acquainted with the person that you are talking to or in a close relationship with him. A lighter version is “Пока-пока!” (paka-paka). It appeared in the 90s of the last century under the influence of English “Bye-bye!” Pronounce it like [пак̀а / pak̀a].
The Russian word for Yes is Да (da). Let's check out this lesson on the Yes in Russian. You can certainly use other words to express your agreement.
There's a well-known Russian greeting tradition: the triple cheek-kiss. It's usually common between close relatives. Sometimes, it's shortened to two kisses. One cheek kiss is often used by girls to greet friends, or even close female coworkers.
Привет (privet)—“Hi” in Russian. If you ask a local: “How do you say 'Hi' in Russian?” he'll most definitely tell you this greeting. This is the most common Russian informal greeting.
Show Some Affection
Hugging and kissing is very normal for friends, so don't be afraid to show some love. Traditionally, Russians would kiss three times on the cheek when meeting. Now, one kiss is more common, but a hug will also be expected.