сла́ва бо́гу
sláva bógu
The English phrase "thank God" can be expressed in Russian as сла́ва бо́гу (sláva bógu).
As an interjection, сла́ва бо́гу is used to express relief when something good happens or a bad situation is avoided, much like the English "thank God".
Meaning: exclamation of gratitude or relief (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "glory to God".
How do you pronounce it?
sláva bógu
Did you know?
- In highly informal settings, a Russian might use the much more slangy and colorful expression тьфу, сла́ва бо́гу to add a sense of physical relief to the exclamation.
- Depending on the intonation, сла́ва бо́гу can be used sarcastically to imply that something happened far too late to be useful.
- Even in secular or atheist circles, many Russians still use сла́ва бо́гу as a reflexive way to express relief without any actual religious intent.
Examples in context
- Слава Богу, что почта пришла вовремя!Thank God the mail arrived on time!
- Благодарю Господа за эту возможность.I thank the Lord for this opportunity.
- Сла́ва бо́гу, ты пришёл.Slava bogu, ty prishol.Thank god, you arrived.
- Сла́ва бо́гу, мы не опоздали.Slava bogu, my ne opozdali.Thank god, we are not late.
Example conversation
Alexander and Ekaterina are discussing their travel plans and the weather.
- Александр AleksandrПоезд пришёл вовремя.Poezd prishol vovremya.The train arrived on time.
- Екатерина EkaterinaСла́ва бо́гу, я очень волновалась.Slava bogu, ya ochen volnovalas.Thank god, I was very worried.
- Александр AleksandrТеперь мы можем ехать спокойно.Teper my mozhem ekhat spokoyno.Now we can travel peacefully.
- Екатерина EkaterinaДа, это отличные новости.Da, eto otlichnyye novosti.Yes, that is great news.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thank God” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
