Travel phrases

Essential Russian travel phrases

Pack the words that matter. These are the 34 Russian phrases that actually come up on a trip, from your first Здравствуйте to calling for help, grouped by situation and written with a simple pronunciation guide, and read aloud at the tap of a button. Chosen the way a Russian speaker would choose them, which is why the list ends with the phrases you only hear once you are there.

Quick answer

The most useful Russian travel phrases cover greetings, politeness, directions, food, and emergencies. Learn a handful first: Здравствуйте (hello), Пожалуйста (please), Спасибо (thank you), and Где здесь туалет? (where is the toilet?). This free tool groups 34 Russian phrases by situation, each with a plain-English pronunciation and a play button that reads it aloud. They are the phrases Russian speakers really use, not an English list translated into Russian, so the last block is the one a phrasebook never has: what locals say to each other.

Start here

The first 10 Russian phrases to learn

The ones you need on day one. Tap play, say the phrase back until it sounds close, then say it along with the voice: that is shadowing, the drill interpreters train with.

  1. 1 Здравствуйте Hello ZDRAHST-vooy-tye Said to any stranger at any hour: a shop, a driver, a desk, a doorway
  2. 2 Добрый день Good afternoon DOH-bry dyen From late morning until about six in the evening; before that Dobroye utro, after it Dobryy vecher
  3. 3 Привет Hi pree-VYET Friends and people your own age only, never to an official or an elder
  4. 4 До свидания Goodbye da svee-DAH-nya
  5. 5 Всего доброго All the best fsee-VOH DOH-bra-va Warm way to leave a counter or a conversation; you hear the same back
  6. 6 Спасибо Thank you spa-SEE-ba
  7. 7 Пожалуйста Please pa-ZHAL-sta Also means you are welcome, and here you go as you hand something over
  8. 8 Да / Нет Yes / No DAH / NYET
  9. 9 Извините Sorry, and excuse me eez-vee-NEE-tye
  10. 10 Я не понимаю I don't understand ya nye pa-nee-MAH-yoo
Show

All 34 phrases, grouped by situation.

Greetings

Здравствуйте Hello ZDRAHST-vooy-tye Said to any stranger at any hour: a shop, a driver, a desk, a doorway
Добрый день Good afternoon DOH-bry dyen From late morning until about six in the evening; before that Dobroye utro, after it Dobryy vecher
Привет Hi pree-VYET Friends and people your own age only, never to an official or an elder
До свидания Goodbye da svee-DAH-nya
Всего доброго All the best fsee-VOH DOH-bra-va Warm way to leave a counter or a conversation; you hear the same back

Basics

Спасибо Thank you spa-SEE-ba
Пожалуйста Please pa-ZHAL-sta Also means you are welcome, and here you go as you hand something over
Да / Нет Yes / No DAH / NYET
Извините Sorry, and excuse me eez-vee-NEE-tye
Я не понимаю I don't understand ya nye pa-nee-MAH-yoo
Вы говорите по-английски? Do you speak English? vy ga-va-REE-tye pa-an-GLEE-skee

Getting around

Где здесь туалет? Where is the toilet? gdye zdyes too-ah-LYET
Вы не подскажете, где метро? Could you tell me where the metro is? vy nye pat-SKAH-zhee-tye gdye meet-ROH Ne podskazhete is the standard way to open a question to a stranger
Вы выходите? Are you getting off? vy vy-KHO-dee-tye Said to whoever stands between you and the door of a packed bus or metro
Какая маршрутка идёт до центра? Which minibus goes to the centre? ka-KAH-ya mar-SHROOT-ka ee-DYOT da TSEN-tra A marshrutka is the shared minibus, still the main transport in smaller cities
Остановите на следующей, пожалуйста Stop at the next one, please as-ta-na-VEE-tye na SLYE-doo-yoo-shchey pa-ZHAL-sta To a marshrutka driver, who stops only if someone asks; in a taxi it is Ostanovite zdes, stop here

Eating out

Счёт, пожалуйста The bill, please shchot pa-ZHAL-sta Mozhno schyot? and Rasschitayte nas are just as common
Будьте добры, мне вот это I'll have this one, please BOOT-tye da-BRY mnye vot EH-ta Say it pointing at the menu; nobody minds
Что вы посоветуете? What do you recommend? shto vy pa-sa-VYE-too-ye-tye
Воду без газа, пожалуйста Still water, please VOH-doo byez GAH-za pa-ZHAL-sta Tap water is not served; the waiter asks S gazom ili bez, sparkling or still
Приятного аппетита Enjoy your meal pree-YAT-na-va a-pye-TEE-ta Said to anyone sitting down to eat; the answer is Spasibo

Shopping

Сколько стоит? How much is it? SKOL-ka STOH-eet The short form everyone uses; no bargaining in shops in Russia
Можно картой? Can I pay by card? MOZH-na KAR-tay Visa and Mastercard issued abroad do not work in Russia; bring cash
Я просто смотрю I'm just looking ya PROS-ta smat-RYOO The answer to Vam pomoch, the assistant's Can I help you
Пакет не нужен, спасибо No bag, thanks pa-KYET nye NOO-zhen spa-SEE-ba Every cashier asks Paket nuzhen; bags are charged for

Emergencies

Помогите! Help! pa-ma-GEE-tye
Вызовите скорую! Call an ambulance! VY-za-vee-tye SKOH-roo-yoo Skoraya is the ambulance; dial 103, or 112 for any emergency
Мне плохо, нужен врач I feel ill, I need a doctor mnye PLOH-kha NOO-zhen vrach Mne plokho is strong: it means you feel really unwell, not just tired
Я заблудился I'm lost ya za-bloo-DEEL-sya A woman says Ya zabludilas

Locals say

Не за что Don't mention it NYE za shta The usual answer to spasibo, alongside pozhaluysta
Ничего страшного No harm done nee-chee-VOH STRASH-na-va What you say when someone apologises to you
Девушка! Miss! DYEH-voosh-ka How you call a waitress or a saleswoman of almost any age; a man is Molodoy chelovek. More formal: Izvinite or Budte dobry
Будем здоровы! To our health! BOO-dyem zda-ROH-vy The everyday toast at any table; with new people the first one is Za znakomstvo. Na zdorovye is not a toast: it is the reply to thanks for food
Давай! See you! da-VAY How friends end a call or part; too casual for a stranger

How to get the most from these phrases

Learn by situation, not alphabetically. Your memory files Здравствуйте next to the moment you would use it, so run through the greetings before you fly, the restaurant block on the way to dinner, and the emergency block once so it is there if you ever need it.

The pronunciation guide is written the way an English speaker would read it aloud, with the stressed syllable in capitals. It is a crutch, not the real sound. Press play, listen once, then say the phrase back: the audio fixes the vowels that plain English spelling cannot capture. Once a phrase feels easy, say it together with the voice, a beat behind, the way interpreters drill: our guide to shadowing explains the sequence.

Phrases get you to the country. What gets you fluent is meeting the same words again and again in context, which is exactly what reading does. Once Пожалуйста and Спасибо feel automatic, the next step is a real Russian sentence, then a page, then a book. That is the whole idea behind reading in Lingo7.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most important Russian phrases for travel?

Start with greetings and politeness, then the phrases that solve a real problem: asking directions, ordering, paying, and getting help. On this page that is Здравствуйте (hello), Пожалуйста (please), Спасибо (thank you), Где здесь туалет? (where is the toilet?), and Помогите! (help!). Learn those few and you can be polite and safe almost anywhere.

What do Russian locals say that a phrasebook leaves out?

A phrasebook translates English, so it gives you the Russian for "hello" and stops. The phrases people there actually trade all day are the ones with no English slot: Не за что (don't mention it), Ничего страшного (no harm done), Девушка! (miss!). The "Locals say" block on this page collects 5 of them and says when each one is used, which is usually what turns a correct sentence into a normal one.

What do these Russian phrases sound like?

Tap the play button next to a phrase and you hear it read aloud, so you can copy the sound instead of guessing it from the spelling. The written pronunciation is a crutch for English eyes, the audio is the real thing. Play Здравствуйте and Спасибо a few times, say them back, and they come out right when it counts.

How do you say hello and thank you in Russian?

In Russian, hello is Здравствуйте (pronounced ZDRAHST-vooy-tye) and thank you is Спасибо (spa-SEE-ba). Add Пожалуйста (please) and До свидания (goodbye), and you have the words that carry most short exchanges with a shopkeeper, waiter, or stranger.

How do you ask where the toilet is in Russian?

Ask Где здесь туалет? (pronounced gdye zdyes too-ah-LYET), which means "where is the toilet?" in Russian. If you only catch part of the reply, Я не понимаю (I don't understand) and a smile usually gets it repeated or pointed out. It is one of the few phrases worth memorizing word for word before you go.

Do I need to learn Russian before traveling?

No, but a dozen Russian phrases go a long way. Locals warm up fast when you open with Здравствуйте and Спасибо instead of English. You do not need grammar or fluency for a trip, just the survival set above. For anything past that, the fastest route to real Russian is reading, which is exactly what Lingo7 is built for.