привет, мой друг
privet, moy drug
The English phrase "hi, my friend" is translated into Russian as привет, мой друг (privet, moy drug).
привет, мой друг is an informal greeting used to say hello to a friend.
Which one should you use?
привет, мой друг is an informal way to greet someone using the singular "my friend", whereas a more formal greeting would use здравствуйте.
How do you pronounce it?
privet, moy drug
Did you know?
- In real-life Russian conversations, people rarely say мой друг when greeting a friend, as it can sound like a translation from English or a movie script.
- The word друг for 'friend' originally meant 'another' or 'different' in early Slavic languages.
- To be even more informal than привет, Russian speakers often use приветик, which adds a diminutive suffix to make the greeting sound cute or affectionate.
Example conversation
Andrey and Olga meet in a park.
- Андрей AndreyПривет, мой друг! Рад тебя видеть.Privet, moy drug! Rad tebya videt.Hi, my friend! I'm glad to see you.
- Ольга OlgaПривет, Андрей! Я тоже.Privet, Andrey! Ya tozhe.Hi, Andrey! Me too.
- Андрей AndreyТы давно здесь гуляешь?Ty davno zdes guglyayesh?Have you been walking here long?
- Ольга OlgaТолько что пришла.Tolko chto prishla.I just arrived.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries друг, мой, привет, CC BY-SA 4.0.
