Здравствуйте, как дела?
Zdravstvuyte, kak dela?
In Russian, "hello, how are you?" is expressed as Здравствуйте, как дела? (Zdravstvuyte, kak dela?)
This phrase is a polite greeting used to initiate a conversation and inquire about someone's well-being. Common responses include Хорошо (good or fine), Всё хорошо (everything is good) or Нормально (alright or so-so). A common and natural way to reply is Хорошо, спасибо (good, thank you).
What does it mean word for word?
The greeting Здравствуйте literally means "be healthy" (the imperative form of "to be healthy"). The question как дела? literally translates to "how are the affairs?" or "how are things?"
Which one should you use?
While Здравствуйте, как дела? is a standard polite greeting, you can use Привет, как дела? to say "Hi, how are things?" when speaking to friends, family or people younger than you.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word вы is used to represent the formal "you".
How do you pronounce it?
Zdravstvuyte, kak dela?
When do people say it?
When greeting someone, you might also use time-specific greetings such as Доброе утро (Good morning) or Добрый день (Good afternoon).
Did you know?
- If you ask a Russian acquaintance Как дела?, they may give you a very long, detailed description of their actual problems rather than a polite 'fine'.
- It is culturally common in Russia to avoid saying хорошо (good) too enthusiastically when asked как дела? Doing so can be seen as bragging or may even invite bad luck.
- Because Здравствуйте is so formal, using it with a close friend can actually feel cold or even jokingly insulting, as if you are creating distance.
Example conversation
Olga and Andrey meet at a business conference.
- Ольга OlgaЗдравствуйте, как дела?Zdravstvuyte, kak dela?Hello, how are you?
- Андрей AndreyЗдравствуйте! Всё хорошо, спасибо.Zdravstvuyte! Vsyo khorosho, spasibo.Hello! Everything is good, thank you.
- Ольга OlgaЯ рада вас видеть, Андрей.Ya rada vas videt', Andrey.I am glad to see you, Andrey.
- Андрей AndreyЯ тоже рад вас видеть, Ольга.Ya tozhe rad vas videt', Ol'ga.I am also glad to see you, Olga.
