In this lesson you'll learn the core basic phrases in Russian that allow you to introduce yourself, have a short conversation, and describe the world around you. You'll also practice pronouncing a bunch of different words to familiarize yourself with how the Russian alphabet sounds in real life.

Basic phrases

Saying hello and goodbye

These are the main ways to say hello in Russian:

Depending on the time of day, you might also want to use:

There are three main ways to say goodbye in Russian:

Introducing yourself

In Russian, instead of saying “my name is…,” you use the impersonal construction “they call me…”

Other useful phrases you should know for introducing yourself and others include:

How are you?

Asking how someone is in Russian is typically something you only do in an informal setting.

The typically Russian responses to the question “How are you?” are:

Pronunciation practice

The purpose of this pronunciation practice section is to get you more familiar with reading aloud in Russian. Along the way you'll also pick up a number of helpful words.

Essential words for forming basic Russian sentences

The Russian language does not have articles (like the, a, an in English). Also, the verb "to be" is generally not used in the present tense in Russian. As such, you can form basic sentences with just a noun and these short words:

For example: