Easy Russian Phrases
There are plenty of reasons to learn Russian. Perhaps you have Russian friends, enjoy Russian literature, or plan to travel to Russia.
Clearly, you don’t want to start your Russian learning journey by attempting to read Tolstoy’s War and Peace in the original Russian text. Starting with some easy Russian phrases for everyday situations is a better approach.
Easy Russian phrases are exactly what we will cover here. And we provide audio recordings so that you can hear the pronunciation.
Russian Phrases For Every Situation
We know you’re excited to learn Russian, so we’ve gathered some Russian phrases for all sorts of situations. Many locals don’t speak or understand English, so it makes sense to learn a few Russian phrases before traveling to the country. Let’s start with some basic Russian Greetings.
Basic Russian Greetings
(Dobroye utro!)
(Dobryy den!)
(Dobryy vecher!)
Different Ways to Say Hello:
(zdravstvuyte) [Formal]
(privet)
(zdorovo)
(privetstvuyu) [Somewhat formal]
(allo) [Used for when answering the phone]
(Dobro pozhalovat`!)
(davno ne videlis')
Complimenting a person in Russian
Compliments can break down barriers and encourage someone to open up and feel more comfortable. If you want to attract a person to yourself, here are some useful phrases.
(Segodnya ty vyhlyadyshʹ prekrasno!)
(Eto ochen' krasivoye plat'ye!)
(Etot zhaket tochno tebe idet!)
(Krutaya strizhka!)
(Ty takoy vezhlivyy!)
(mne nravitsya tvoy naryad!)
(Ty takoy milyy!)
For more on this, here is a full article on Russian compliments.
How to Introduce Yourself in Russian
(Menya zovut …)
(Mozhno prosto …)
(Mne … let)
(Ya iz …)
(Ya turist)
(Ya rabotayu … )
Essential Polite Russian Phrases
The ability to be polite is one of the main qualities that shows you as a person. In Russian, as in many languages of the world, there are templates for politeness.
(Blagodaryu!)
(Spasibo!)
(Pozhaluysta!)
(pomogi mne, Pozhaluysta!)
(Skazhi mne, pozhaluysta!)
(Bud' zdorov!) [When somebody sneezes]
(Ne za chto!) (Rad pomoch')
(Izvinite!) (Proshu proschenia!)
(Priyatno poznakomitsya!)
Romantic Russian phrases
One of the first things that interests beginners learning a new language is the phrase “I love you”. Romantic themes have always been important in the study of languages; that’s why I propose that we look at some Romantic sentences.
(Ya lyublu tebya!)
(Mne nravyatsya tovi glaza!)
(Ya vlyubylsya v tebya!)
(Ti segodnya vigladish prekrasno!)
(Ti takaya krasivaya!)
(Mozhno obnyat' tebya!)
(Mogu ya tebya potselovat'?)
What we have considered is just the tip of the iceberg. The theme of romance is by far the most varied among other topics. There may be changes in words for cute reasons, and interchanged words to focus attention on something. So never hesitate to explore this topic deeper. Think of it as such a call to arms that will ultimately help you to be original and graceful with your soul mate!
How to Say Goodbye in Russian
( Do svidaniya!) [Formal]
( Poka!)
( Uvidimsya!)
( Do zavtra!)
( Do vechera!)
( Uvidimsya v voskresenie!) (Do voskreseniya!)
Notice how the form of the "See you" phrase with a specified time or day can vary.
Useful Phrases When Dining Out
This is one of the first situations where you need to apply your Russian at its best! Let's arm ourselves with the most universal phrases!
(Ofitsiant!)
(U vas est' svobodnie mesta?)
(Mogu ya poprosit' vylku/lozhku/nozh?)
(Kakie blyuda vi podaete?)
(Mozhno poprosit' menu, pozhaluysta?)
(U vas est' chto-to vipit'?)
(Skolko eto stoit?)
(Mozhno pozhaluysta chek?)
Phrases to Use When Shopping in Russia
Regardless of whether the travel is for leisure or business, everyone wants to bring a souvenir from another country. Here is a list of Russian sentences that can be useful when shopping:
(Skolko eto stoit?)
(Daite mne chek, pozhaluysta!)
(Izvinite, gde zdes' obmen valyut?)
(Vi prinimaete dollary ili evro?)
(Mogu ya rasschitat'sya kreditnoy kartoy?)
(Можете снизить цену, пожалуйста?)
Phrases to Use When Asking for Help
(Ya mogu poprosit' tebya ob usluge?)
(Pomogi mne!)
(Ya mogu poprosit' u tebya pomoschi?)
(Vizovite skoruyu pomoshch!)
(Gde zdes' politseyskiy uchastok?)
(Ya mogu odolzhit' tvoi zont?)
Russian travel phrases
Travel is an integral part of learning any language. Can you imagine how many friends you can make while traveling in the country where you’re learning the language? Here are some Russian phrases to help you travel.
(Gde zdes' blizhayshee metro?)
(Gde zdes' tualet?)
(Kak ya mogu dobrat'sya tuda?)
(Eto mesto blizko?)
(Vot moi passport)
(Ya iz Anglii!)
(Zdes' poblizosti yest' otel'?)
(U vas yest' svobodnyye komnaty na segodnya?)
(Yest' li kakiye-nibud' meropriyatiya na segodnya?)
(Skazhi mne pozhaluysta, gde blizhayshaya zapravka?)
Related article: the 1000 most common Russian words
