до́брый день
dóbryj denʹ
The English phrase 'good afternoon' is translated into Russian as до́брый день (dóbryj denʹ).
до́брый день is used as a greeting to say good afternoon. While it is a polite and standard way to greet someone, you can also use Здравствуйте to say hello at any time of the day.
Meaning: greeting said in the afternoon (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'good day'.
Which one should you use?
Unlike the informal greeting приве́т (hi), which is used with friends and peers regardless of the time of day, до́брый день is more formal and time-specific.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
до́брый день is a polite, standard greeting suitable for formal or semi-formal situations.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase до́брый день is in the nominative case. However, in certain contexts such as when wishing someone a good day, the genitive form до́брого дня is used.
How do you pronounce it?
dóbryj denʹ
Did you know?
- The word день is a cognate of the Sanskrit word dina, showing a deep ancestral link between Russian and ancient Indian languages.
- In very formal Russian settings, it is common to combine до́брый день with a person's first name and patronymic to show maximum respect.
- The adjective до́брый does not just mean 'good' in a quality sense, but carries a connotation of 'kind' or 'gentle'.
Example sentences for Russian are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good afternoon” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries день, CC BY-SA 4.0.
