How to Say “Welcome” in Russian

Ways to say it

The phrase добро́ пожа́ловать is used as a greeting to someone arriving at a location. Note that this is used for the act of arrival and is not a response to "thank you". If you want to express a warm welcome because you are excited to see someone, you might instead use the phrase Рады видеть!

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase добро́ пожа́ловать literally breaks down into добро, meaning "goodness" or "well-being" and пожа́ловать, meaning "be willing" or "desire".

Which one should you use?

The expression добро́ пожа́ловать is a fixed formulaic expression used for a formal or official welcome, such as at an entrance or during a speech. In contrast, приве́тствуем! is the first-person plural form of the verb приве́тствовать and is used to express the active act of greeting someone, translated as "we welcome [you]!"

Related words

Act of greeting someone's arrival (noun): приём.

Affirm or greet the arrival of someone (verb): приве́тствовать.

How does it change in a sentence?

The related verb приве́тствовать means to affirm or greet the arrival of someone, while the noun приём refers to the act of greeting someone's arrival.

How do you pronounce it?

dobró požálovatʹ

What mistakes should you avoid?

English speakers sometimes mistakenly use пожалуйста (which means "please" or "you're welcome") to mean "welcome" when someone arrives at a place like a home. However, добро́ пожа́ловать is the correct term for an arrival.