Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| звони́ть | zvonítʹ | imperfective |
| позвони́ть | pozvonítʹ | perfective |
| телефони́ровать | telefonírovatʹ | imperfective, perfective, rare |
The primary way to express the action of calling someone on the telephone is through the verb звони́ть. While there is a more technical verb, телефони́ровать, it is rarely used in daily conversation.
Which one should you use?
The choice between forms depends on whether the action is ongoing or completed. Use the imperfective звони́ть to describe the habitual action of calling or the ongoing process of calling. Use the perfective позвони́ть to describe a single, completed action, such as saying "I will call you once."
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
звони́ть and позвони́ть are the standard terms for everyday use. The verb телефони́ровать is rare. When referring to the device itself, мобильный телефон is a formal way to specify a mobile phone, while телефончик is an affectionate, informal term and мобилка is casual slang.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The term труба, which literally means "tube", is used to refer to older rotary phones or landline telephones.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the verb звони́ть, the person being called must be in the dative case (кому́-то).
How do you pronounce it?
zvonítʹ
Did you know?
- Russian has a specific word for the 'dial tone' or the 'beeping' heard on the line, гудки. The verb for 'beeping' is related to the word for a 'horn' or 'goose', emphasizing the sound's loud quality.
- If you use the wrong grammatical case with звони́ть, such as the accusative instead of the dative, you might sound like you are physically ringing a bell rather than calling a person.
- In very casual Russian, you can use the phrase поднять трубу, which literally means 'to lift the tube'. It is the equivalent of the English phrase 'to pick up the phone'.
Examples in context
- Я забыл свой телефон дома.I forgot my phone at home.
- У вас есть мобильный телефон?Do you have a mobile phone?
- Пришли мне сообщение на мобилку.Send me a message on my phone.
- Подними трубку и позвони в службу поддержки.Pick up the phone and call customer support.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “phone” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
