алло, кто это?
allo, kto eto?
The Russian phrase for "hello, who is this?" is алло, кто это? (allo, kto eto?)
This phrase is a specific greeting used when answering the telephone to ask for the identity of the caller. The word алло is used almost exclusively for answering the telephone and is not used as a general greeting when meeting someone in person.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase кто это?, the word это (this/it) remains in its neutral form regardless of the gender of the person you are asking about.
How do you pronounce it?
allo, kto eto?
Did you know?
- While алло is used for phones, some Russians answer with слушаю, which literally means 'I am listening'. This shifts the focus from a greeting to an expression of readiness to receive information.
- The word алло is actually a linguistic traveler that likely passed through French to reach Russian. It is an echo of the English 'hello' adapted to the phonetics of the French language.
- Using алло to get someone's attention in a face-to-face conversation is often viewed as rude or aggressive. It is similar to shouting 'Hello?' in English when you believe someone is ignoring you.
Example conversation
Sergey answers a call from an unknown number.
- Сергей SergeyАлло, кто это?Allo, kto eto?Hello, who is this?
- Анастасия AnastasiaЭто Анастасия, мы виделись вчера.Eto Anastasiya, my videlis vchera.This is Anastasia, we met yesterday.
- Сергей SergeyА, Анастасия! Привет!A, Anastasiya! Privet!Oh, Anastasia! Hi!
- Анастасия AnastasiaПривет, Сергей!Privet, Sergey!Hi, Sergey!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries алло, кто, CC BY-SA 4.0.
