Greetings and Farewells in Russian

Lesson Objective:

By the end of this lesson, learners will be able to greet someone and say goodbye in Russian, using both formal and informal expressions.

Vocabulary List:

• Здравствуйте – Hello (formal)


• Привет – Hi (informal)


• Доброе утро – Good morning


• Добрый день – Good afternoon


• Добрый вечер – Good evening


• Спокойной ночи – Good night


• До свидания – Goodbye (formal)


• Пока – Bye (informal)


• До встречи – See you later


• Увидимся – See you (informal)

Grammar Point:

In Russian, different greetings are used depending on the formality of the situation. Use Здравствуйте when addressing someone you don’t know well or in a professional context. Use Привет among friends and family. Similarly, До свидания is formal, while Пока is used with people you are close to.

Examples:

• Здравствуйте, как вы поживаете? – Hello, how are you? (formal)


• Привет! Как дела? – Hi! How’s it going? (informal)


• До свидания, Мария Ивановна. – Goodbye, Maria Ivanovna. (formal)


• Пока! Увидимся завтра! – Bye! See you tomorrow! (informal)

Exercises:

Reading Comprehension:

Read the dialogue and answer the questions below:

Ирина: Доброе утро, Анна!

Анна: Привет, Ирина! Как дела?

Ирина: Всё хорошо, спасибо. А у тебя?

Анна: Отлично! Пока, мне пора!

Ирина: Пока!

• What time of day is it?


• Who uses a formal greeting?


• Who is leaving first?

Listening Comprehension:

Listen to a recording of people meeting and saying goodbye in different social contexts. Identify whether the greetings and farewells used are formal or informal, and note down which words you hear.

(Instructor may provide a short audio conversation with greetings like “Здравствуйте” and “Пока”)

Speaking Practice:

Practice greeting your partner in both formal and informal situations. Take turns using these scenarios:

• Meeting a teacher at school


• Seeing a close friend at a café


• Saying goodbye to a new colleague after work


• Leaving a family dinner

Summary:

In this lesson, you learned common Russian greetings and farewells. You practiced distinguishing between formal and informal expressions and applied them in conversations. Key phrases include Здравствуйте and До свидания for formal situations, and Привет and Пока for informal ones.

Homework:

• Write a short dialogue between two people meeting and parting, using at least four phrases from this lesson.


• Listen to a Russian audio clip (e.g., a YouTube video or podcast) and identify how people greet and say goodbye.


• Memorize all vocabulary items. Prepare to use them in a short role play next class.