Здравствуйте
Zdravstvuyteformal, polite
In English letters the formal Russian hello is written Zdravstvuyte, which is Здравствуйте in Cyrillic. The casual one is Privet, or Привет. It is also called Добрый день (Dobryy den).
Meaning: greeting (interjection)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Здравствуйте | Zdravstvuyte | formal, polite |
| Привет | Privet | casual |
| Добрый день | Dobryy den | polite |
Zdravstvuyte (Здравствуйте) is for strangers, older people and work. Privet (Привет) is for friends, family and people your age.
Which one should you use?
There is no single official English spelling. You will also see Zdravstvuite and Zdravstvujte for the same word, because different systems turn the Cyrillic letters into Latin ones in different ways.
How do you pronounce it?
The first в of Здравствуйте is silent, so it sounds like "ZDRAST-vooy-tye".
What mistakes should you avoid?
Learners often try to say every letter in Zdravstvuyte. Dropping the first v sound makes it much easier and sounds natural.
Did you know?
- Здравствуйте (Zdravstvuyte) is built on the root for health, so it means roughly "be healthy".
Examples in context
- Здравствуйте, меня зовут Анна.Zdravstvuyte, menya zovut Anna.Hello, my name is Anna.
- Привет, как дела?Privet, kak dela?Hi, how are you?
- Добрый день, чем могу помочь?Dobryy den, chem mogu pomoch?Good afternoon, how can I help?
Example conversation
Anna checks in at a hotel desk in Saint Petersburg and the receptionist Sergey greets her.
- AnnaЗдравствуйте. У меня заказан номер.Zdravstvuyte. U menya zakazan nomer.Hello. I have a room booked.
- SergeyЗдравствуйте. Ваша фамилия?Zdravstvuyte. Vasha familiya?Hello. Your surname?
- AnnaИванова.Ivanova.Ivanova.
