Privet, zdravstvuyte and spokoynoy nochi: friends and strangers
Privet is the hi you say to your own people: family, friends, people your age. A stranger or an elder gets zdravstvuyte or dobryy den instead. Once two people switch to first names, privet follows. For example: “Привет, как дела?” — Hi, how are you? A rule from the Russian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Privet is the hi you say to your own people: family, friends, people your age. A stranger or an elder gets zdravstvuyte or dobryy den instead. Once two people switch to first names, privet follows.
The time borders are soft: dobroe utro holds until noon, dobryy den until the evening, and being an hour off bothers no one. Spokoynoy nochi is a different thing: it wishes a good night before sleep and does not greet. Meeting in the evening, say dobryy vecher; you will hear spokoynoy nochi on parting.
For parting, do svidaniya is neutral and poka is friendly. There is no single word for both hello and goodbye here: privet only opens a conversation.
Table
| What you say | To whom | When |
|---|---|---|
| privet | your own people | any time of day |
| zdravstvuyte, dobryy den | strangers, elders | the day |
| dobroe utro | anyone | until noon |
| dobryy vecher | anyone | after six |
| spokoynoy nochi | anyone | parting before sleep |
| do svidaniya | neutral | when parting |
| poka | your own people | when parting |
By example
- Привет, как дела?Privet, kak dela?Hi, how are you?
- Добрый день! Вы говорите по-английски?Dobryy den! Vy govorite po-angliyski?Good afternoon! Do you speak English?
- Спокойной ночи, до завтра!Spokoynoy nochi, do zavtra!Good night, see you tomorrow!
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Privet vs zdravstvuyte: which one when?
Privet is the hi you say to your own people: family, friends, people your age. A stranger or an elder gets zdravstvuyte or dobryy den instead. Once two people switch to first names, privet follows.
How to greet people in Russian?
Privet is the hi you say to your own people: family, friends, people your age. A stranger or an elder gets zdravstvuyte or dobryy den instead. Once two people switch to first names, privet follows.
When to say spokoynoy nochi?
The time borders are soft: dobroe utro holds until noon, dobryy den until the evening, and being an hour off bothers no one. Spokoynoy nochi is a different thing: it wishes a good night before sleep and does not greet. Meeting in the evening, say dobryy vecher; you will hear spokoynoy nochi on…
How to say goodbye in Russian?
Privet is the hi you say to your own people: family, friends, people your age. A stranger or an elder gets zdravstvuyte or dobryy den instead. Once two people switch to first names, privet follows.
What does it look like in a Russian example sentence?
“Привет, как дела?” (Privet, kak dela?) — Hi, how are you? A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.