How to Say "Thank" in Russian

благодарить

blagodarit'

To thank in Russian is благодарить (blagodarit').

The verb благодарить is used to express gratitude to someone for something they have done. While this is the formal verb for the act of thanking, in everyday spoken Russian, people almost always use the noun спасибо as a verb-equivalent to express gratitude.

What does it mean word for word?

The verb благодарить is composed of the roots благо (good/blessing) and дарить (to give), literally meaning 'to give a blessing/goodness'.

Which one should you use?

In daily conversation, спасибо is the most common and widely-used way to say thank you. For a more sophisticated or formal tone, you can use the phrase Благодарю Вас (I thank you) or the first-person singular present form благодарю (I thank you), which sounds slightly more formal or poetic than the standard спасибо.

How does it change in a sentence?

When using the verb благодарить, the pattern is благодарить кого-то за что-то (to thank someone for something). This requires the accusative case for the person being thanked and the preposition за followed by the accusative case for the reason for thanks. If you want to address a person using the polite form of 'you', you can use Вам спасибо. Additionally, the noun form of the verb is благодарность (gratitude/thanks).

How do you pronounce it?

blagodarit'

Did you know?

The common word for 'thank you', спасибо, is actually a contraction of the older phrase спаси Бог, which means 'may God save you'.
In a modern, casual setting, using the formal благодарю can actually come across as ironic or playful, as if you are acting like an aristocrat.
The verb благодарить is a loanword from Old Church Slavonic, the liturgical language of the Orthodox Church.

Examples in context

Спасибо за ваше внимание на встрече
Thank you for your attention during the meeting.
Благодарю Вас за вашу поддержку
I thank you for your support.
Спасибочки, помог мне
Thanks, you helped me.

Example conversation

Olga and Andrey are discussing a helpful colleague.

Ольга Olga

Андрей, он очень помог нам с проектом.
Andrey, on ochen' pomog nam s proyektom.
Andrey, he helped us a lot with the project.
Андрей Andrey

Да, нам стоит его благодарить.
Da, nam stoit yego blagodarit'.
Yes, we should thank him.
Ольга Olga

Я напишу ему сообщение сейчас.
Ya napishu yemu soobshcheniye seychas.
I will write him a message now.
Андрей Andrey

Это будет очень правильно.
Eto budet ochen' pravil'no.
That would be very right.

Sources

Word origins: Wiktionary entries благодарить, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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How to Say “Thank” in Russian