Russian Step by Step

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29 Things You Will Only Understand If You Studied Russian You don't learn Russian, Russian learns you.

Saying "Hello!"

The most common form of greeting is
Здравствуйте! [Zdrah-stvui-te]

This greeting can be used with anyone you meet - strangers, acquaintances, friends.

Notes

The first {в} is silent in this word. We spell здравствуйте, but say [здраствуйте].
Russians do not use Здравствуйте! with each other more than once a day. Meeting the same person a second time, they will acknowledge him/her with a nod, ask something, or will say Ещё раз здравствуйте! [yectsho raz zrahstvuite] - "Hello again!" (saying only Здравствуйте! a second time suggests you have forgotten meeting the person already that day).

Get to know Russians better

11 Russian Superstitions (Because We Were Scared to Do 13) | News Russians are a superstitious lot. The Moscow Times highlights 10 of the most common superstitions travelers to Russia are likely to encounter.