What are the most common Russian phrases for beginners?

The most essential Russian phrases for beginners are: Здравствуйте (Hello, formal), Привет (Hi, informal), Спасибо (Thank you), Пожалуйста (Please / You're welcome), Извините (Excuse me), Как дела? (How are you?), Меня зовут... (My name is...), Я не понимаю (I don't understand) and Мне нужна помощь! (I need help!). These cover greetings, politeness and basic communication in most everyday situations.

How do you say hello in Russian?

The formal greeting in Russian is Здравствуйте (Zdravstvuyte), used with strangers, older people and in professional contexts. The informal equivalent is Привет (Privet), used with friends and family. For time-specific greetings: Доброе утро (Good morning), Добрый день (Good afternoon) and Добрый вечер (Good evening) are all neutral and appropriate in any situation.

What is the difference between ты and вы in Russian?

Russian has two forms of the word 'you': ты (ty) is the informal form used with friends, family, children and close colleagues. Вы (vy) is the formal form used with strangers, older people, shop staff, officials and in professional contexts. Вы is always the safe default when meeting someone for the first time. Switching to ты happens only when both speakers agree to it, usually initiated by the older or more senior person.

How do you say thank you in Russian?

Thank you in Russian is Спасибо (Spasibo). For a stronger expression of gratitude, use Большое спасибо (Bolshoye spasibo), which means 'thank you very much'. The response to thank you is Пожалуйста (Pozhaluysta), which means both 'you're welcome' and 'please' depending on context.

What are some typical Russian expressions you won't find in phrasebooks?

Some authentically Russian expressions include: Нормально (Normally / Fine) – the typical understated answer to 'how are you?'; Такова жизнь (That's life) – a common fatalistic expression; Ничего не поделаешь (Nothing can be done) – used to accept an unavoidable situation; За здоровье! (To health!) – the standard toast; and Приятного аппетита! (Bon appétit!) said before meals. These reflect everyday Russian communication more accurately than standard tourist phrases.

Common Russian Phrases: Everyday & Essential Expressions

This article was last updated and reviewed in May 2026.

Russian phrases are the building blocks of real conversation – and knowing the right ones for the right situation makes all the difference. Russian has a formal and an informal register that native speakers switch between constantly. Getting that wrong can come across as rude or oddly stiff depending on context.

What you’ll find on this page: the most common Russian phrases for everyday life, organized by situation. Each phrase includes the Cyrillic spelling and IPA pronunciation guide. I’ve also added notes on when to use formal vs. informal forms – something most phrase lists skip entirely, but which matters enormously in Russian-speaking contexts.

One thing I noticed when I started learning languages beyond the tourist-phrase stage: the phrases that actually get used in daily life are rarely the ones in standard phrasebooks. Russian speakers appreciate when foreigners make the effort – even basic phrases delivered with confidence go a long way.

What are the most essential Russian phrases to know?

The most useful Russian phrases for beginners cover: greetings (Здравствуйте / Привет), introductions (Меня зовут…), basic questions (Как дела? / Где находится…?), polite expressions (Пожалуйста / Спасибо) and emergency phrases (Мне нужна помощь!). Russian uses two levels of formality – ты (informal, friends and family) and вы (formal, strangers and professional contexts). When in doubt, always use вы.

Formal vs. Informal Russian: What You Need to Know First

Before diving into phrases, this distinction is worth understanding properly. Russian has two second-person pronouns: ты (ty) for informal address and вы (vy) for formal address. This affects not just pronouns but verb conjugations throughout a sentence.

Situation	Use	Notes
Friends, family, children, close colleagues	ты (informal)	Switch only when invited to do so
Strangers, older people, shop staff, officials	вы (formal)	Always safe default
Professional / business contexts	вы (formal)	Even with people you know well
Online / social media	ты (informal)	Russian internet culture skews informal

In the phrase tables below, I indicate where the formal/informal distinction changes the expression. As a general rule for travellers and beginners: default to вы until someone uses ты with you first.

OUR TIP: If you want to learn these phrases interactively, we recommend the free language course demo from 17-Minute-Languages, where you can practise Russian phrases and dialogues today.

Russian Greeting Phrases

Russian has different greetings depending on time of day and level of formality. Здравствуйте (Zdravstvuyte) is the standard formal greeting – it literally means “be healthy” and is safe in any situation. Привет (Privet) is the casual equivalent used with friends.

Formal and Standard Greetings in Russian

English	Russian	Register	IPA
Hello (formal)	Здравствуйте!	Formal	[ˈzdrastvʊjtʲɪ]
Hi / Hey (casual)	Привет!	Informal	[prʲɪˈvʲet]
Welcome!	Добро пожаловать!	Neutral	[dɐˈbro pɐˈʐaləvətʲ]
Good morning!	Доброе утро!	Neutral	[ˈdobrəjə ˈutrə]
Good afternoon!	Добрый день!	Neutral	[ˈdobrɨj dʲenʲ]
Good evening!	Добрый вечер!	Neutral	[ˈdobrɨj ˈvʲetɕɪr]
Good to see you.	Рад тебя видеть.	Informal	[rat tʲɪˈbʲa ˈvʲidʲɪtʲ]
Good to see you. (formal)	Рад вас видеть.	Formal	[rat vas ˈvʲidʲɪtʲ]

If you are greeted in Russian, respond with:

English	Russian	IPA
Have a nice day too!	Тебе тоже хорошего дня!	[tʲɪˈbʲe ˈtoʐə xɐˈroʂɨvə dʲnʲa]
Thanks, nice to see you too.	Спасибо, мне тоже приятно тебя видеть.	[spɐˈsʲibə mnʲe ˈtoʐə prʲɪˈjatnə tʲɪˈbʲa ˈvʲidʲɪtʲ]

How to Ask “How Are You?” in Russian

Russians use different forms of this question depending on context. The formal version is essential in any professional or first-meeting situation.

English	Russian	Register	IPA
How are you? (informal)	Как дела?	Informal	[kak dʲɪˈla]
How are you? (formal)	Как вы поживаете?	Formal	[kak vɨ pəʐɨˈvajɪtʲɪ]
Are you doing well?	У тебя всё хорошо?	Informal	[ʊ tʲɪˈbʲa fsʲɵ xɐˈroʂə]
Everything alright?	Всё в порядке?	Informal	[fsʲɵ f pɐˈrʲatkʲɪ]

How to answer:

English	Russian	IPA
Thank you, I’m fine.	Спасибо, у меня всё хорошо.	[spɐˈsʲibə ʊ mʲɪˈnʲa fsʲɵ xɐˈroʂə]
Not too bad, thanks.	Спасибо, не очень хорошо.	[spɐˈsʲibə nʲe ˈotɕɪnʲ xɐˈroʂə]
Fine, thanks. And you?	Спасибо, хорошо. А у тебя как дела?	[spɐˈsʲibə xɐˈroʂə ɐ ʊ tʲɪˈbʲa kak dʲɪˈla]
Normal / so-so (very Russian answer)	Нормально.	[nɐrˈmalʲnə]

Cultural note: “Нормально” (Normally/Fine) is the most authentically Russian answer to “How are you?” – more so than the enthusiastic “Great!” common in English. Russians tend to be understated about personal wellbeing in casual conversation. Don’t be put off by it.

Russian Farewell Phrases

English	Russian	Register	IPA
Goodbye (formal)	До свидания!	Formal/Neutral	[də sʲvʲɪˈdanʲɪjə]
Bye (casual)	Пока	Informal	[pɐˈka]
See you soon	До скорого	Neutral	[də ˈskorəvə]
See you tomorrow	Увидимся завтра	Neutral	[ʊˈvʲidʲɪmsʲə ˈzavtrə]
See you later	Увидимся позже	Neutral	[ʊˈvʲidʲɪmsʲə ˈpoʐə]
Take care!	Береги себя!	Informal	[bʲɪrʲɪˈɡʲi sʲɪˈbʲa]
Good night	Спокойной ночи	Neutral	[spɐˈkoj̯nəj ˈnotɕɪ]
Sleep well	Сладких снов	Informal	[ˈslatkʲɪx snof]
Nice to have met you!	Приятно было познакомиться!	Neutral	[prʲɪˈjatnə ˈbɨlə pəzˈnakəmʲɪt͡sə]
Talk to you later.	Поговорим позже.	Neutral	[pəɡəvɐˈrʲim ˈpoʐə]

How to Introduce Yourself in Russian

English	Russian	IPA
My name is [name].	Меня зовут [имя].	[mʲɪˈnʲa zɐˈvut]
What is your name? (informal)	Как тебя зовут?	[kak tʲɪˈbʲa zɐˈvut]
What is your name? (formal)	Как вас зовут?	[kak vas zɐˈvut]
What is your surname?	Какая у тебя фамилия?	[kɐˈkajə ʊ tʲɪˈbʲa fɐˈmʲilʲɪjə]
Where do you come from? (informal)	Откуда ты?	[ɐtˈkudə tɨ]
Where do you come from? (formal)	Откуда вы?	[ɐtˈkudə vɨ]
I am from London.	Я из Лондона.	[ja is ˈlondənə]
Where do you live?	Где ты живёшь?	[ɡdʲe tɨ ʐɨˈvʲoʂ]
I live in Berlin.	Я живу в Берлине.	[ja ʐɨˈvu f bʲɪrˈlʲinʲɪ]

Language Phrases – When Your Russian Isn’t Enough Yet

English	Russian	IPA
Do you speak English? (informal)	Ты говоришь по-английски?	[tɨ ɡəvɐˈrʲiʂ pɐ ɐnˈɡlʲijskʲɪ]
Do you speak English? (formal)	Вы говорите по-английски?	[vɨ ɡəvɐˈrʲitʲɪ pɐ ɐnˈɡlʲijskʲɪ]
I only speak a little Russian.	Я немного говорю по-русски.	[ja nʲɪmˈnoɡə ɡəvɐˈrʲu pɐ ˈruskʲɪ]
Please speak more slowly.	Пожалуйста, говорите медленнее.	[pɐˈʐalʊstə ɡəvɐˈrʲitʲɪ ˈmʲedlʲɪnʲɪjɪ]
I don’t understand.	Я не понимаю.	[ja nʲɪ pɐnʲɪˈmajʊ]
Could you repeat that?	Вы можете повторить?	[vɨ ˈmoʐɪtʲɪ pɐftɐˈrʲitʲ]

Polite Expressions and Basic Russian Phrases

These are the phrases that will get you the most goodwill in any Russian-speaking context. Russians appreciate politeness – and notice when it’s absent.

English	Russian	IPA
Thank you	Спасибо	[spɐˈsʲibə]
Thank you very much	Большое спасибо	[bɐlʲˈʂojɪ spɐˈsʲibə]
Please / You’re welcome	Пожалуйста	[pɐˈʐalʊstə]
Excuse me (to get attention)	Извините	[ɪzvʲɪˈnʲitʲɪ]
Sorry (informal)	Прости	[prɐˈstʲi]
Sorry (formal)	Простите	[prɐˈstʲitʲɪ]
Yes	Да	[da]
No	Нет	[nʲet]
Of course	Конечно	[kɐˈnʲeʂnə]
No problem	Не проблема	[nʲɪ prɐˈblʲemə]
It doesn’t matter	Ничего страшного	[nʲɪt͡ɕɪˈvo ˈstraʂnəvə]

Apologising in Russian

English	Russian	IPA
I apologise.	Я извиняюсь.	[ja ɪzvʲɪˈnʲæjusʲ]
Sorry, that was not intentional.	Извини, я не хотел этого.	[ɪzvʲɪˈnʲi ja nʲɪ xɐˈtʲel ˈɛtəvə]
Sorry, I didn’t do it on purpose.	Извини, я сделал это не специально.	[ɪzvʲɪˈnʲi ja ˈzdʲeləl ˈɛtə nʲɪ spʲɪtsɨˈalʲnə]
That was clumsy of me, sorry.	Извини, это было очень неловко с моей стороны.	[ɪzvʲɪˈnʲi ˈɛtə ˈbɨlə ˈotɕɪnʲ nʲɪˈlovkə s mɐˈjej stɐˈronɨ]

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Everyday Russian Phrases for Common Situations

Useful “I am…” Sentences in Russian

English	Russian	IPA
I am English.	Я англичанин. / Я англичанка. (f)	[ja ɐnɡlʲɪˈt͡ɕanʲɪn]
I am a tourist.	Я турист.	[ja tʊˈrʲist]
I am lost.	Я заблудился.	[ja zəblʊˈdʲilsʲə]
I need help!	Мне нужна помощь!	[mnʲe nʊˈʐna ˈpoməɕ]
I am hungry.	Я голоден.	[ja ˈɡolədʲɪn]
I am thirsty.	Я хочу пить.	[ja xɐˈt͡ɕu pʲitʲ]
I am tired.	Я устал.	[ja ʊˈstal]
I am ill.	Я болен.	[ja ˈbolʲɪn]
I am in a hurry.	Я спешу.	[ja spʲɪˈʂʊ]
I am late.	Я опоздал.	[ja ɐpɐˈzdal]
I am ready.	Я готов.	[ja ɡɐˈtof]
I am happy.	Я счастлив.	[ja ˈɕːaslʲɪf]
I am busy.	Я занят.	[ja ˈzanʲɪt]
I am new here.	Я здесь новенький.	[ja zʲdʲesʲ ˈnovʲɪnʲkʲɪj]
I am 30 years old.	Мне тридцать лет.	[mnʲe ˈtrʲit͡sətʲ lʲet]

Russia-Specific Phrases and Cultural Expressions

These are phrases and expressions that you’ll encounter in Russian daily life – but that rarely appear in standard phrasebooks. Some are practical, others are cultural touchstones worth knowing.

Cultural note: Russian social interaction often skips small talk more quickly than English-speaking cultures. A direct question is not considered rude. Smiling at strangers in public is uncommon – it can even seem suspicious. Reserve smiles for people you actually know.

Essential Phrases for Daily Life in Russia

English	Russian	Register	IPA
Cheers! (toast)	За здоровье!	Neutral	[za zdɐˈrovʲjɪ]
Bon appétit!	Приятного аппетита!	Neutral	[prʲɪˈjatnəvə ɐpʲɪˈtʲitə]
Help yourself! (at the table)	Угощайтесь!	Formal/warm	[ʊɡɐˈɕːajtʲɪsʲ]
Come in!	Входите!	Formal	[fxɐˈdʲitʲɪ]
Make yourself at home.	Чувствуй себя как дома.	Informal	[ˈt͡ɕustvʊj sʲɪˈbʲa kak ˈdomə]
Happy birthday!	С днём рождения!	Neutral	[z dʲnʲom rɐˈʐdʲenʲɪjə]
Congratulations!	Поздравляю!	Neutral	[pəzdrɐˈvlʲajʊ]
Good luck!	Удачи!	Neutral	[ʊˈdat͡ɕɪ]
Have a good trip!	Счастливого пути!	Neutral	[ɕːɪˈslʲivəvə pʊˈtʲi]
Don’t worry about it.	Не переживай.	Informal	[nʲɪ pʲɪrʲɪʐɨˈvaj]
That’s life. (very Russian expression)	Такова жизнь.	Neutral	[tɐkɐˈva ʐɨznʲ]
Nothing can be done. (fatalistic, very common)	Ничего не поделаешь.	Neutral	[nʲɪt͡ɕɪˈvo nʲɪ pɐˈdʲeləɪʂ]

Russian Phrases for Shopping and Restaurants

English	Russian	IPA
How much does this cost?	Сколько это стоит?	[ˈskolʲkə ˈɛtə ˈstoit]
I would like…	Я бы хотел…	[ja bɨ xɐˈtʲel]
The bill, please.	Счёт, пожалуйста.	[ɕɵt pɐˈʐalʊstə]
Do you have a table for two?	У вас есть столик на двоих?	[ʊ vas jestʲ ˈstolʲɪk na dvɐˈix]
I am a vegetarian.	Я вегетарианец.	[ja vʲɪɡʲɪtɐˈrʲianʲɪt͡s]
Where is the nearest metro station?	Где ближайшая станция метро?	[ɡdʲe blʲɪˈʐajʂəjə ˈstant͡sɨjə mʲɪˈtro]
Where is the toilet?	Где туалет?	[ɡdʲe tʊɐˈlʲet]

OUR TIP: If you want to practise these Russian phrases interactively, the free demo from 17-Minute-Languages lets you learn real dialogues from day one.

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Useful Signs and Notices in Russian

English	Russian	IPA
Entrance	Вход	[fxot]
Exit	Выход	[ˈvɨxət]
Toilet	Туалет	[tʊɐˈlʲet]
Attention!	Внимание!	[vnʲɪˈmanʲɪjə]
Caution!	Осторожно!	[əstɐˈroʐnə]
Passage forbidden	Проход запрещён.	[prɐˈxot zɐprʲɪˈɕon]
Police	Полиция	[pɐˈlʲit͡sɨjə]
Emergency services	Служба экстренной помощи	[ˈsluʂbə ˈɛkstrʲɪnːəj ˈpoməɕɪ]
Fire brigade	Пожарная служба	[pɐˈʐarnəjə ˈsluʂbə]
Open	Открыто	[ɐtˈkrɨtə]
Closed	Закрыто	[zɐˈkrɨtə]
Push / Pull	От себя / К себе	[ɐt sʲɪˈbʲa / k sʲɪˈbʲe]

Numbers 1–25 in Russian

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]

Colours in Russian

English	Russian	IPA
Red	Красный	[ˈkrasnɨj]
Blue	Синий	[ˈsʲinʲɪj]
Green	Зелёный	[zʲɪˈlʲɵnɨj]
Yellow	Жёлтый	[ˈʐoltɨj]
Orange	Оранжевый	[ɐˈranʐɨvɨj]
Purple	Фиолетовый	[fʲɪɐˈlʲetəvɨj]
Pink	Розовый	[ˈrozəvɨj]
Brown	Коричневый	[kɐˈrʲit͡ɕnʲɪvɨj]
Black	Чёрный	[ˈt͡ɕɵrnɨj]
White	Белый	[ˈbʲelɨj]
Grey	Серый	[ˈsʲerɨj]

Days, Months and Seasons in Russian

English	Russian	IPA
Days of the Week
Monday	Понедельник	[pənʲɪˈdʲelʲnʲɪk]
Tuesday	Вторник	[ˈftornʲɪk]
Wednesday	Среда	[srʲɪˈda]
Thursday	Четверг	[t͡ɕɪtˈvʲerk]
Friday	Пятница	[ˈpʲatʲnʲɪt͡sə]
Saturday	Суббота	[sʊˈbotə]
Sunday	Воскресенье	[vəskrʲɪˈsʲenʲjɪ]
Months
January	Январь	[jɪnˈvarʲ]
February	Февраль	[fʲɪvˈralʲ]
March	Март	[mart]
April	Апрель	[ɐˈprʲelʲ]
May	Май	[maj]
June	Июнь	[ɪˈjunʲ]
July	Июль	[ɪˈjulʲ]
August	Август	[ˈaɡvust]
September	Сентябрь	[sʲɪnʲˈtʲabrʲ]
October	Октябрь	[ɐkˈtʲabrʲ]
November	Ноябрь	[nɐˈjabrʲ]
December	Декабрь	[dʲɪˈkabrʲ]
Seasons
Spring	Весна	[vʲɪsˈna]
Summer	Лето	[ˈlʲetə]
Autumn / Fall	Осень	[ˈosʲɪnʲ]
Winter	Зима	[zʲɪˈma]

OUR TIP: If you want to learn Russian phrases interactively, the free demo from 17-Minute-Languages lets you practise real dialogues from day one.

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About the Author

Sven Mancini is a published language author and founder of Learn-A-New-Language.eu. He has been learning languages through self-study since 2005, reaching business-level fluency in Norwegian and conversational proficiency in Danish, Swedish and French. He is the author of four vocabulary guides and has tested more than 30 language courses. His content is based on real learning experience – not academic theory.