Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| приве́т | privét |
| здоро́во | zdoróvo |
| здра́сте | zdráste |
These words are used as friendly, informal greetings. While приве́т is the standard way to say hi to friends or peers, здоро́во serves as a more rugged, slangy greeting.
Which one should you use?
приве́т is a neutral-informal way to greet someone, whereas здоро́во is a more casual and slangy version. здра́сте is a colloquial, shortened form of the formal здравствуйте and is used in casual settings.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
приве́т is the standard informal greeting for friends or peers. здра́сте is used in casual settings due to its colloquial nature. здоро́во is a very casual, masculine-coded slang greeting similar to 'hey man'. For formal situations, you should use Здравствуйте or Добрый день (during daytime hours) instead of these informal options.
How do you pronounce it?
privét
When do people say it?
If you want to be more formal than приве́т without being completely formal, you can use Приветствую. For a standard formal setting, use Здравствуйте or use Добрый день specifically during the daytime.
Did you know?
- The formal greeting Здравствуйте is a verb in the imperative mood, literally commanding the other person to 'be healthy'.
- The greeting приве́т shares the same root as the word for 'arrival' and 'welcome', coming from the verb meaning 'to arrive'.
- While здоро́во is used as 'hi', it is also an adverb meaning 'great' or 'huge', which can cause confusion in fast speech.
Examples in context
- Здоро́во!Hi.This sentence shows the use of the slang form здоро́во.Tatoeba #3854188 by marafon, translation #538123 by CM
- Здравствуйте!Hello!
- Привет!Hi!
- Приве́т, как дела?Privet, kak dela?Hi, how are things?
- О, приве́т, давно не виделись!O, privet, davno ne videlis'!Oh, hi, long time no see!
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maria and Sergey meet in a park.
- Мария MariaПриве́т, Сергей!Privet, Sergey!Hi, Sergey!
- Сергей SergeyПривет, Мария. Как ты?Privet, Mariya. Kak ty?Hi, Maria. How are you?
- Мария MariaВсё хорошо, спасибо.Vsyo khorosho, spasibo.Everything is good, thanks.
- Сергей SergeyЯ рад это слышать.Ya rad eto slyshat'.I am glad to hear that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hi” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
