Здравствуйте
Здравствуйте is the Russian way to say hello formally.
Здравствуйте is the most common way to say hello formally in Russian. Depending on the time of day, you might also use the formal greetings Добрый день (Good day) during the daytime or Добрый вечер (Good evening) during the evening.
Which one should you use?
Use Здравствуйте for people you do not know or people older than you. In contrast, Привет is reserved for friends and family.
How does it change in a sentence?
Здравствуйте is the imperative form of the verb здравствовать (to be healthy). Its spelling includes a silent в in the third syllable.
Did you know?
- In formal settings, Здравствуйте is often paired with a firm handshake, but you should never shake hands across a threshold or doorway as it is considered bad luck.
- In a formal Russian introduction, the greeting Здравствуйте is frequently followed by the person's first name and their patronymic, which is a name derived from their father's name.
- The root of Здравствуйте is shared with the word здоровье, meaning 'health'. This connection makes the greeting a linguistic relative of the common Russian toast 'To your health'.
Examples in context
- Здравствуйте, Анна! Рад(а) вас видетьHello, Anna! Nice to see you.
- Здравствуйте, добрый день.Zdravstvuyte, dobry den'.Hello, good day.
- Здравствуйте, вы меня слышите?Zdravstvuyte, vy menya slyshite?Hello, can you hear me?
- Здравствуйте, приятно познакомиться.Zdravstvuyte, priyatno poznakomit'sya.Hello, nice to meet you.
Example conversation
Ekaterina greets Alexander at a business meeting.
- Екатерина EkaterinaЗдравствуйте, Александр.Zdravstvuyte, Aleksandr.Hello, Alexander.
- Александр AleksandrЗдравствуйте, Екатерина.Zdravstvuyte, Ekaterina.Hello, Ekaterina.
- Екатерина EkaterinaКак ваши дела?Kak vashi dela?How are you doing?
- Александр AleksandrСпасибо, всё хорошо.Spasibo, vsyo khorosho.Thank you, everything is good.
