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This post is geared towards beginner students of Russian or those who have casually picked up a few words from their friends or from living in a Russian-speaking environment.<\/p>\n
Perhaps you’ve been in this situation, where you casually ask your Russian friend how to say “Hello” in Russian. After all, that should be easy.\u00a0Hola\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Hallo<\/em> just roll off the tongue. And you hear\u00a0Zdravstvuyte\u00a0<\/em>(\u0417\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0432\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0443\u0439\u0442\u0435) in response. Wait, what? How are there consecutive v-s-t-v in that word? Is there an easier way?<\/p>\n Sure, says your friend. There is always\u00a0Privet\u00a0<\/em>(\u041f\u0440\u0438\u0432\u0435\u0442, “Hi”). So you settle for that and maybe even try it on your friend’s grandma. That’s cute, except for the fact that\u00a0privet\u00a0<\/em>is really reserved for your friends, close to you in age. Don’t be afraid to master the real thing! Here are three basic words that may sound like a mouthful at first. We will share some tips to help you say them with confidence. Click on the words in italics to listen to the pronunciation.<\/p>\n Let’s start with the dreaded\u00a0zdravstvuyte<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>This is the neutral or formal greeting, said to an adult, a stranger, or anyone who is not your friend or close family. This word is technically an imperative verb wishing the person to be healthy (\u0437\u0434\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0432\u044b\u0439,\u00a0zdorovy)<\/em>.<\/p>\n The breakdown of the word is ZDRA-stvooy-te. Let’s look at it syllable by syllable.<\/p>\n zdra<\/em> – that consonant cluster may look intimidating, but think about phrases like “his dr<\/strong>ums” in English. The highlighted part gives you that consonant cluster. If you still\u00a0struggle with it, you can always drop the initial “z” and not be too far off the mark.<\/p>\n stvooy<\/em> – you have already said “stv” in English expressions like “fast v<\/strong>an.” You may notice that the first “v” of zdravstvuyte\u00a0<\/em>is silent. The “y” is just the sound you make in “y<\/strong>es.”<\/p>\n te<\/em>\u00a0– this should be easy to say. Try to avoid saying “tay” if you can; “tea” would be better.<\/p>\n One last tip is to make sure you put the word stress, the “oomph” on the first and not the second syllable.<\/p>\n Pozhaluysta<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>is used either to ask for something (“please”) or to respond to “thank you” (“you are welcome”). First, the word stress is on the\u00a0zha<\/em>, not on the\u00a0luy.<\/em><\/p>\n puh\u00a0<\/em>– similar to the first two sounds of “puck” (minus the “pop” on the “p”).<\/p>\n ZHA\u00a0<\/em>– similar to the first two sounds of “genre.”<\/p>\n luy\u00a0<\/em>– pronounced closer to “loo,” skipping over the\u00a0y\u00a0<\/em>sound.<\/p>\n\u0417\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0432\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0443\u0439\u0442\u0435 – Hello<\/h2>\n
\u041f\u043e\u0436\u0430\u043b\u0443\u0439\u0441\u0442\u0430 – Please\/You’re Welcome<\/h2>\n