Доброе утро, как дела?
Dobroye utro, kak dela?
In Russian, 'good morning, how are you?' is said as Доброе утро, как дела? (Dobroye utro, kak dela?)
This phrase is a polite greeting used in the morning to wish someone well and inquire about their current situation. While Доброе утро, как дела? is suitable for casual or semi-formal settings, in very formal business settings, you might omit the inquiry about their well-being or use more formal pronouns.
What does it mean word for word?
Доброе is the neuter form of the adjective meaning 'good', agreeing with the neuter noun утро, which means 'morning'. The word дела is the plural form of дело, meaning 'affairs', 'matters' or 'things'.
Which one should you use?
The phrase Доброе утро, как дела? is the informal way to say the greeting, whereas Доброе утро, как поживаете? is the formal way to say 'good morning, how are you?'
How does it change in a sentence?
The word дела is the plural form of the noun дело, which translates to 'matter', 'affair' or 'business'.
How do you pronounce it?
Dobroye utro, kak dela?
When do people say it?
A common and natural response to the question как дела? is Хорошо, спасибо (Good, thank you).
Did you know?
- While Как дела? translates to 'how are you?', a Russian speaker might respond with a detailed list of their actual problems rather than a polite 'fine'.
- The word дела is used in legal contexts to refer to a 'criminal case' or 'court file'.
- The word как shares a common ancestor with the English word 'how', meaning they are very distant linguistic relatives.
Example conversation
Dmitry and Olga meet in the office kitchen.
- Дмитрий DmitryДоброе утро, как дела?Dobroye utro, kak dela?Good morning, how are you?
- Ольга OlgaДоброе утро! Всё хорошо, спасибо.Dobroye utro! Vsyo khorosho, spasibo.Good morning! Everything is good, thank you.
- Дмитрий DmitryТы уже пила кофе?Ty uzhe pila kofe?Have you had coffee already?
- Ольга OlgaДа, я только что закончила.Da, ya tolko chto zakonchila.Yes, I just finished.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries как, утро, CC BY-SA 4.0.
