Polite words in Russian
8 words in Russian on the topic “polite words”: добрый день — good afternoon, спасибо — thank you, пожалуйста — please, вы — you (formal or plural).
8 words on the topic
- добрый деньdobryy dengood afternoonThe neutral daytime hello, from about noon to six — fine in a shop, on the phone and in email. Literally "kind day".
- спасибоspasibothank youStress it on the end: spa-SI-bo. Turn the volume up with bolshoye spasibo, "many thanks"; among friends it wears down to spasib.
- пожалуйстаpozhaluystapleaseOne word for three jobs: please, here you are, and the answer to thank you. English needs two different phrases; this one covers all three.
- выvyyou (formal or plural)Polite to one person and plain plural at once — no separate polite form to learn. The verb after it is plural: vy govorite, "you speak".
- повторите, пожалуйстаpovtorite, pozhaluystarepeat, pleaseThe -te ending is the polite "you" built into the verb. The laziest way to ask again is a bare Chto? — "what?".
- извинитеizviniteexcuse meServes both as "sorry" and as the way to stop a stranger in the street — one word where English keeps two.
- подождите минутуpodozhdite minutuwait a minutePodozhdite minutu, pozhaluysta — the polite wait; podozhdi is its informal twin.
- не за чтоne za chtoyou're welcomeLiterally "there is nothing to thank for" — the answer to spasibo. Also "for nothing", as in effort wasted.
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How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
- Добрый день! Один кофе, пожалуйстаDobryy den! Odin kofe, pozhaluystaGood afternoon! One coffee, please
- Спасибо, всё было отличноSpasibo, vsyo bylo otlichnoThank you, everything was great
- Одну воду, пожалуйстаOdnu vodu, pozhaluystaOne still water, please
- Вы говорите по-английски?Vy govorite po-angliyski?Do you speak English?
- Повторите, пожалуйста, медленнееPovtorite, pozhaluysta, medlenneePlease repeat, more slowly
- Извините, где вокзал?Izvinite, gde vokzal?Excuse me, where is the train station?
What is worth knowing about these words
добрый день (dobryy den) — good afternoon. The neutral daytime hello, from about noon to six — fine in a shop, on the phone and in email. Literally "kind day".
спасибо (spasibo) — thank you. Stress it on the end: spa-SI-bo. Turn the volume up with bolshoye spasibo, "many thanks"; among friends it wears down to spasib.
пожалуйста (pozhaluysta) — please. One word for three jobs: please, here you are, and the answer to thank you. English needs two different phrases; this one covers all three.
вы (vy) — you (formal or plural). Polite to one person and plain plural at once — no separate polite form to learn. The verb after it is plural: vy govorite, "you speak".
Test yourself
Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “good afternoon” in Russian?
The neutral daytime hello, from about noon to six — fine in a shop, on the phone and in email. Literally "kind day".
- How do you say “you're welcome” in Russian?
Literally "there is nothing to thank for" — the answer to spasibo. Also "for nothing", as in effort wasted.
- How do you say “wait a minute” in Russian?
Podozhdite minutu, pozhaluysta — the polite wait; podozhdi is its informal twin.
- How do you say “excuse me” in Russian?
Serves both as "sorry" and as the way to stop a stranger in the street — one word where English keeps two.
- How do you say “repeat, please” in Russian?
The -te ending is the polite "you" built into the verb. The laziest way to ask again is a bare Chto? — "what?".
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
“Thank you”, “please” and “sorry” carry you while the rest of the words are still missing: with them even a gesture reads as a request rather than a demand.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- Study spread over days wins not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “good afternoon” in Russian?
«добрый день», read “dobryy den”. The neutral daytime hello, from about noon to six — fine in a shop, on the phone and in email. Literally "kind day". It is one of 8 words in the set “polite words” — the rest are in the table above.
How many polite words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 8 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.