LinguaTwo hellos, and the choice is not about the time of day
Russian splits greetings by who you are talking to, not by the clock. Здравствуйте goes to anybody you address as вы: a stranger, an older person, a shop assistant, a group. Привет goes to friends, classmates and children – and to nobody else.
Using привет with a stranger is not friendly, it is careless. Using здравствуйте with a close friend is not polite, it is cold. Choosing wrongly says something about the relationship you did not mean to say.
| Greeting | To whom | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Здравствуйте | anybody you call вы | the safe default |
| Здравствуй | one person you call ты | rarer, slightly formal for a friend |
| Привет | friends, children | never to a stranger |
| Здрасьте | friends, casual | spoken only, never written |
The times of day
These are safe with everybody. Note the last one: спокойной ночи is a farewell, not a greeting – you say it when leaving or going to bed, never when arriving.
| Phrase | When | Greeting or farewell |
|---|---|---|
| Доброе утро | until about noon | greeting |
| Добрый день | noon until evening | greeting |
| Добрый вечер | from about six | greeting |
| Спокойной ночи | at night | farewell only |
Leaving
| Phrase | To whom |
|---|---|
| До свидания | anybody, the safe default |
| Пока | friends only |
| До завтра | anybody you will see tomorrow |
| Всего доброго | polite, slightly formal |
Доброе утро! Как дела?Good morning! How are you?
Пока! До завтра.Bye! See you tomorrow.
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| здравствуйте | hello (formal or plural) | Здравствуйте, я к директору. Hello, I am here to see the director. |
| привет | hi (to a friend) | Привет, как ты? Hi, how are you? |
| доброе утро | good morning | Доброе утро, коллеги! Good morning, colleagues! |
| добрый день | good afternoon | Добрый день, чем могу помочь? Good afternoon, how can I help? |
| добрый вечер | good evening | Добрый вечер, проходите. Good evening, come in. |
| до свидания | goodbye | До свидания, спасибо вам. Goodbye, thank you. |
| пока | bye (to a friend) | Пока, увидимся! Bye, see you! |
| до завтра | see you tomorrow | До завтра, отдыхай. See you tomorrow, get some rest. |
| спокойной ночи | good night (on parting) | Спокойной ночи, мама. Good night, mum. |
| всего доброго | all the best | Всего доброго, приходите ещё. All the best, do come again. |
Exercises
This lesson has 10 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 3
- match the pairs: 1
- fill the gap: 2
- build the sentence: 1
- translate the sentence: 2
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
You walk into a pharmacy and greet the assistant. What do you say?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.