Russian phrases – Here you will find the most common phrases in Russian with translation. | Free & useful
Russian phrases are short expressions or idioms often used in speech to be polite, express gratitude, greet or say goodbye or simply to have a pleasant conversation.
They are an important part of Russian culture and can be useful in different situations, both in private and business life.
Russian phrases you should know
OUR TIP: If you want to learn these phrases interactively, we recommend the free language course demo from 17-Minute-Language, where you can learn Russian phrases and dialogues today.
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Greet someone in Russian
If you want to greet someone in Russian, it’s actually quite easy:
| English | Russian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome! | Добро пожаловать! | [dɐˈbro pɐˈʐaləvətʲ] |
| Good day to you! | Добрый день! | [ˈdobrɨj dʲenʲ] |
| Good morning to you! | Доброе утро! | [ˈdobrəjə ˈutrə] |
| Good evening! | Добрый вечер! | [ˈdobrɨj ˈvʲetɕɪr] |
| Good to see you. | Рад тебя видеть. | [rat tʲɪˈbʲa ˈvʲidʲɪtʲ] |
| I’m glad to see you. | Я рад тебя видеть. | [ja rat tʲɪˈbʲa ˈvʲidʲɪtʲ] |
If you are greeted in Russian, the best way to respond is as follows:
| English | Russian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Have a nice day too! | Тебе тоже хорошего дня! | [tʲɪˈbʲe ˈtoʐə xɐˈroʂɨvə dʲnʲa] |
| Thanks, it’s nice to see you too. | Спасибо, мне тоже приятно тебя видеть. | [spɐˈsʲibə mnʲe ˈtoʐə prʲɪˈjatnə tʲɪˈbʲa ˈvʲidʲɪtʲ] |
How is my dialogue partner?
As in any other country, it is polite to start by asking where the person you are talking to is located. Here’s how you do it:
| English | Russian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| How are you doing? | Как дела? | [kak dʲɪˈla] |
| Are you doing well? | У тебя всё хорошо? | [ʊ tʲɪˈbʲa fsʲɵ xɐˈroʂə] |
If you are asked how you feel, you can answer with the following phrases:
| English | Russian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Thank you for asking, I am fine. | Спасибо, что спросил, у меня всё хорошо. | [spɐˈsʲibə ʂtɔ sprɐˈsʲil ʊ mʲɪˈnʲa fsʲɵ xɐˈroʂə] |
| Thank you, I am fine. | Спасибо, у меня всё хорошо. | [spɐˈsʲibə ʊ mʲɪˈnʲa fsʲɵ xɐˈroʂə] |
| Thank you, I am not doing so well. | Спасибо, у меня не очень хорошо. | [spɐˈsʲibə ʊ mʲɪˈnʲa nʲe ˈotɕɪnʲ xɐˈroʂə] |
| Thanks, I’m fine. How are you doing? | Спасибо, у меня всё хорошо. А у тебя как дела? | [spɐˈsʲibə ʊ mʲɪˈnʲa fsʲɵ xɐˈroʂə. ɐ ʊ tʲɪˈbʲa kak dʲɪˈla] |
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How do I say goodbye to someone in Russian?
Saying goodbye to a friend or stranger in Russian is not that difficult. Just use the following phrases:
| English | Russian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Goodbye! | До свидания! | [də sʲvʲɪˈdanʲɪjə] |
| Take care of yourself! | Береги себя! | [bʲɪrʲɪˈɡʲi sʲɪˈbʲa] |
| Goodbye | Пока | [pɐˈka] |
| See you tomorrow | Увидимся завтра | [ʊˈvʲidʲɪmsʲə ˈzavtrə] |
| See you soon | До скорого | [də ˈskorəvə] |
| See you later | Увидимся позже | [ʊˈvʲidʲɪmsʲə ˈpoʐə] |
| Good night | Спокойной ночи | [spɐˈkoj̯nəj ˈnotɕɪ] |
| Sleep well | Сладких снов | [ˈslatkʲɪx snof] |
| Talk to you later. | Поговорим позже. | [pəɡəvɐˈrʲim ˈpoʐə] |
| Nice to have met you! | Приятно было познакомиться! | [prʲɪˈjatnə ˈbɨlə pəzˈnakəmʲɪt͡sə] |
How do I introduce myself in Russian?
When travelling in Russia, sooner or later you will come into contact with local people. Naturally, you’ll want to introduce yourself in Russian and know who you’re talking to.
| English | Russian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| My name is Jonas. | Меня зовут Йонас. | [mʲɪˈnʲa zɐˈvut ˈjonəs] |
| What is your name? | Как тебя зовут? | [kak tʲɪˈbʲa zɐˈvut] |
| What is your surname? | Какая у тебя фамилия? | [kɐˈkajə ʊ tʲɪˈbʲa fɐˈmʲilʲɪjə] |
| What is your first name? | Какое у тебя имя? | [kɐˈko(j)ɪ ʊ tʲɪˈbʲa ˈimʲə] |
| What is your surname? | Как твоя фамилия? | [kak tvɐˈja fɐˈmʲilʲɪjə] |
If you want to tell people where you come from, the following sentences are useful:
| English | Russian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Where do you come from? | Откуда ты? | [ɐtˈkudə tɨ] |
| I am from London. | Я из Лондона. | [ja is ˈlondənə] |
| Are you from Birmingham? | Ты из Бирмингема? | [tɨ is bʲɪrˈmʲinɡʲɪmə] |
| No, I’m from Madrid. | Нет, я из Мадрида. | [nʲet ja is mɐˈdrʲidə] |
| Great, I’m from Madrid too. | Здорово, я тоже из Мадрида. | [ˈzdorəvə ja ˈtoʐə is mɐˈdrʲidə] |
| Where do you live? | Где ты живёшь? | [ɡdʲe tɨ ʐɨˈvʲoʂ] |
| I live in Berlin. | Я живу в Берлине. | [ja ʐɨˈvu f bʲɪrˈlʲinʲɪ] |
If you have problems with your Russian, it is good to know which languages are still spoken:
| English | Russian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Do you speak English? | Ты говоришь по-английски? | [tɨ ɡəvɐˈrʲiʂ pɐ ɐnˈɡlʲijskʲɪ] |
| Yes, I speak English. | Да, я говорю по-английски. | [da ja ɡəvɐˈrʲu pɐ ɐnˈɡlʲijskʲɪ] |
| Yes, I speak some English. | Да, я немного говорю по-английски. | [da ja nʲɪmˈnoɡə ɡəvɐˈrʲu pɐ ɐnˈɡlʲijskʲɪ] |
| No, I do not speak any English. | Нет, я совсем не говорю по-английски. | [nʲet ja sɐˈfsʲem nʲe ɡəvɐˈrʲu pɐ ɐnˈɡlʲijskʲɪ] |
| I only speak English. | Я говорю только по-английски. | [ja ɡəvɐˈrʲu ˈtolʲkə pɐ ɐnˈɡlʲijskʲɪ] |
| I understand some Russian. | Я немного понимаю по-русски. | [ja nʲɪmˈnoɡə pɐnʲɪˈmajʊ pɐ ˈruskʲɪ] |
Useful sentences with ‘I am…’
The following sentences will help you orientate yourself in Russian and express your wishes and concerns:
| English | Russian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| I am English. | Я англичанин. | [ja ɐnɡlʲɪˈt͡ɕanʲɪn] |
| I am injured. | Я ранен. | [ja ˈranʲɪn] |
| I am here. | Я здесь. | [ja zʲdʲesʲ] |
| I am hungry. | Я голоден. | [ja ˈɡolədʲɪn] |
| I am thirsty. | Я хочу пить. | [ja xɐˈt͡ɕu pʲitʲ] |
| I am a single person. | Я холост. | [ja ˈxoləst] |
| I need help! | Мне нужна помощь! | [mnʲe nʊˈʐna ˈpoməɕ] |
| I am tired. | Я устал. | [ja ʊˈstal] |
| I am happy. | Я счастлив. | [ja ˈɕːaslʲɪf] |
| I am sad. | Мне грустно. | [mnʲe ˈɡrustnə] |
| I am in love. | Я влюблён. | [ja vlʲʊˈblʲon] |
| I am ill. | Я болен. | [ja ˈbolʲɪn] |
| I am ready. | Я готов. | [ja ɡɐˈtof] |
| I am busy. | Я занят. | [ja ˈzanʲɪt] |
| I am lost. | Я заблудился. | [ja zəblʊˈdʲilsʲə] |
| I am a tourist. | Я турист. | [ja tʊˈrʲist] |
| I am new here. | Я здесь новенький. | [ja zʲdʲesʲ ˈnovʲɪnʲkʲɪj] |
| I am confident. | Я уверен. | [ja ʊˈvʲerʲɪn] |
| I am proud. | Я горжусь. | [ja ɡɐrˈʐusʲ] |
| I am a teacher. | Я учитель. | [ja ʊˈt͡ɕitʲɪlʲ] |
| I am late. | Я опоздал. | [ja ɐpɐˈzdal] |
| I am 30 years old. | Мне тридцать лет. | [mnʲe ˈtrʲit͡sətʲ lʲet] |
| I am in a hurry. | Я спешу. | [ja spʲɪˈʂʊ] |
| I am happy. | Я счастлив. | [ja ˈɕːaslʲɪf] |
| I am surprised. | Я удивлён. | [ja ʊdʲɪˈvlʲon] |
| I am angry. | Я злюсь. | [ja zlʲusʲ] |
Apologising in Russian
Here’s how to apologise to a Russian speaker:
| English | Russian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| I apologise. | Я извиняюсь. | [ja ɪzvʲɪˈnʲæjusʲ] |
| Sorry, that was not the intention. | Извини, я не хотел этого. | [ɪzvʲɪˈnʲi ja nʲɪ xɐˈtʲel ˈɛtəvə] |
| Sorry, I did not do it on purpose. | Извини, я сделал это не специально. | [ɪzvʲɪˈnʲi ja ˈzdʲeləl ˈɛtə nʲɪ spʲɪtsɨˈalʲnə] |
| Sorry, that was very clumsy of me. | Извини, это было очень неловко с моей стороны. | [ɪzvʲɪˈnʲi ˈɛtə ˈbɨlə ˈotɕɪnʲ nʲɪˈlovkə s mɐˈjej stɐˈronɨ] |
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Useful signs and notices in Russian
Useful signs and messages in Russian that you will often see.
| English | Russian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Entrance | Вход | [fxot] |
| Toilet | Туалет | [tʊɐˈlʲet] |
| Exit | Выход | [ˈvɨxət] |
| Attention! | Внимание! | [vnʲɪˈmanʲɪjə] |
| Police | Полиция | [pɐˈlʲit͡sɨjə] |
| Emergency services | Служба экстренной помощи | [ˈsluʂbə ˈɛkstrʲɪnːəj ˈpoməɕɪ] |
| Fire brigade | Пожарная служба | [pɐˈʐarnəjə ˈsluʂbə] |
| Passage forbidden. | Проход запрещён. | [prɐˈxot zɐprʲɪˈɕon] |
| Caution! | Осторожно! | [əstɐˈroʐnə] |
| This building is under video surveillance. | Это здание находится под видеонаблюдением. | [ˈɛtə ˈzdanʲɪjə nɐˈxodʲɪt͡sə pot ˈvʲidʲɪə.nəblʲʉˈdʲenʲɪjəm] |
Numbers to 25 in Russian
Counting in Russian is not that difficult. Here are the numbers in Russian from 1 to 25.
| English | Russian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Один | [ɐˈdʲin] |
| 2 | Два | [dva] |
| 3 | Три | [trʲi] |
| 4 | Четыре | [t͡ɕɪˈtɨrʲɪ] |
| 5 | Пять | [pʲætʲ] |
| 6 | Шесть | [ʂesʲtʲ] |
| 7 | Семь | [sʲemʲ] |
| 8 | Восемь | [ˈvosʲɪmʲ] |
| 9 | Девять | [ˈdʲevʲɪtʲ] |
| 10 | Десять | [ˈdʲesʲɪtʲ] |
| 11 | Одиннадцать | [ɐˈdʲinːət͡sətʲ] |
| 12 | Двенадцать | [dvʲɪˈnat͡sətʲ] |
| 13 | Тринадцать | [trʲɪˈnat͡sətʲ] |
| 14 | Четырнадцать | [t͡ɕɪˈtɨrnət͡sətʲ] |
| 15 | Пятнадцать | [pʲɪtˈnat͡sətʲ] |
| 16 | Шестнадцать | [ʂɨsˈnat͡sətʲ] |
| 17 | Семнадцать | [sʲɪmˈnat͡sətʲ] |
| 18 | Восемнадцать | [vəsʲɪmˈnat͡sətʲ] |
| 19 | Девятнадцать | [dʲɪvʲɪtˈnat͡sətʲ] |
| 20 | Двадцать | [ˈdvat͡sətʲ] |
| 21 | Двадцать один | [ˈdvat͡sətʲ ɐˈdʲin] |
| 22 | Двадцать два | [ˈdvat͡sətʲ dva] |
| 23 | Двадцать три | [ˈdvat͡sətʲ trʲi] |
| 24 | Двадцать четыре | [ˈdvat͡sətʲ t͡ɕɪˈtɨrʲɪ] |
| 25 | Двадцать пять | [ˈdvat͡sətʲ pʲætʲ] |
The colours in Russian
The most common colours in Russian with phonetic transcription for pronunciation.
| English | Russian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Red in Russian | Красный | [ˈkrasnɨj] |
| Blue in Russian | Синий | [ˈsʲinʲɪj] |
| Green in Russian | Зелёный | [zʲɪˈlʲɵnɨj] |
| Yellow in Russian | Жёлтый | [ˈʐoltɨj] |
| Orange in Russian | Оранжевый | [ɐˈranʐɨvɨj] |
| Purple in Russian | Фиолетовый | [fʲɪɐˈlʲetəvɨj] |
| Pink in Russian | Розовый | [ˈrozəvɨj] |
| Brown in Russian | Коричневый | [kɐˈrʲit͡ɕnʲɪvɨj] |
| Black in Russian | Чёрный | [ˈt͡ɕɵrnɨj] |
| White in Russian | Белый | [ˈbʲelɨj] |
Days of the week, months and seasons in Russian
Of course, you will also need the days of the week in Russian and the pronunciation of the months and seasons in dialogues and daily communication in Russian.
| English | Russian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Days of the Week in Russian | ||
| Monday in Russian | Понедельник | [pənʲɪˈdʲelʲnʲɪk] |
| Tuesday in Russian | Вторник | [ˈftornʲɪk] |
| Wednesday in Russian | Среда | [srʲɪˈda] |
| Thursday in Russian | Четверг | [t͡ɕɪtˈvʲerk] |
| Friday in Russian | Пятница | [ˈpʲatʲnʲɪt͡sə] |
| Saturday in Russian | Суббота | [sʊˈbotə] |
| Sunday in Russian | Воскресенье | [vəskrʲɪˈsʲenʲjɪ] |
| Months in Russian | ||
| January in Russian | Январь | [jɪnˈvarʲ] |
| February in Russian | Февраль | [fʲɪvˈralʲ] |
| March in Russian | Март | [mart] |
| April in Russian | Апрель | [ɐˈprʲelʲ] |
| May in Russian | Май | [maj] |
| June in Russian | Июнь | [ɪˈjunʲ] |
| July in Russian | Июль | [ɪˈjulʲ] |
| August in Russian | Август | [ˈaɡvust] |
| September in Russian | Сентябрь | [sʲɪnʲˈtʲabrʲ] |
| October in Russian | Октябрь | [ɐkˈtʲabrʲ] |
| November in Russian | Ноябрь | [nɐˈjabrʲ] |
| December in Russian | Декабрь | [dʲɪˈkabrʲ] |
| Seasons in Russian | ||
| Spring in Russian | Весна | [vʲɪsˈna] |
| Summer in Russian | Лето | [ˈlʲetə] |
| Autumn / Fall in Russian | Осень | [ˈosʲɪnʲ] |
| Winter in Russian | Зима | [zʲɪˈma] |
OUR TIP: If you want to learn these Russian phrases interactively, we recommend the free language course demo from 17-Minute-Language, where you can learn Russian phrases and dialogues.
*
More information about the Russian Business Course.
Additional links
- Learn Russian with Mondly
- Learn Russian with Babbel
- The different ways of learning languages
- Learning vocabulary successfully
- Motivated language learning
- It is so easy to train your understanding of a language at the same time
- Learning languages quickly? – Is it possible?
- The different types of learners when learning languages
More information about the Russian Course for Children.