10 Russian Phrases You Need for Your First Conversation

You don't need hundreds of words to have your first conversation in Russian. You need about ten phrases, used at the right time. That's it. Most beginners think they have to memorize a massive vocabulary list before they can open their mouth. They don't. I've watched students order coffee, introduce themselves, and navigate a train station in Moscow with fewer than a dozen expressions.

These are the phrases I teach in the very first lesson with every new student. They're not random textbook vocabulary. They're the ones that actually come up in real conversations, the ones Russians use every single day. Master these ten, and you'll be able to handle basic social situations, ask for what you need, and make a genuinely good first impression.

1. Привет (Privet) / Здравствуйте (Zdravstvuyte)

Every conversation starts with a greeting, so this is the obvious place to begin.

Привет (privet) is "hi." It's casual. Use it with friends, people your age, kids, anyone you'd address on a first-name basis. Think of it as the Russian equivalent of "hey" or "hi there."

Здравствуйте (zdravstvuyte) is the formal "hello." Use it with strangers, older people, your boss, a waiter, a doctor, or anyone you're meeting for the first time. Basically any situation where you'd say "sir" or "ma'am" in English calls for Здравствуйте in Russian.

When in doubt, go formal. Nobody in Russia will be offended if you're too polite. They might raise an eyebrow if you're too casual, though.

Pronunciation tip: Здравствуйте looks terrifying on paper. Here's the secret: the first "в" is basically silent in normal speech. Most Russians say something like "ZDRA-stvuy-tye" rather than pronouncing every single letter. Say it a few times fast and it starts to feel natural. I promise.

2. Спасибо (Spasibo)

"Thank you." You'll use this one constantly, probably more than any other phrase on this list.

Bought a coffee? Спасибо. Someone held the door? Спасибо. Got directions from a stranger? Спасибо.

If you want to be extra grateful, say Большое спасибо (bolshoye spasibo), which means "thank you very much." Literally it translates to "big thank you," which I think is kind of charming.

And when someone thanks you, the response is Пожалуйста (pozhaluysta), which means "you're welcome." But Пожалуйста is actually a two-in-one word, which brings us to the next phrase.

3. Пожалуйста (Pozhaluysta)

This word does double duty in Russian. It means both "please" and "you're welcome," depending on the context.

When you're asking for something: Кофе, пожалуйста (Kofe, pozhaluysta) means "Coffee, please." You can stick пожалуйста onto the end of almost any request to make it polite.

When someone thanks you: Спасибо! ... Пожалуйста! That's the classic exchange. Thank you, you're welcome. Done.

The pronunciation trips people up at first. Break it down: "pa-ZHAL-sta." Russians tend to swallow the middle a bit, so don't worry about making every syllable crisp. Speed and flow matter more than textbook precision here.

4. Да (Da) / Нет (Net)

Yes and no. Simple enough, right? Mostly.

Да (da) means "yes." But here's something that confuses a lot of beginners: Russians sometimes say "да" when they actually mean "I'm listening" or "go on" or "uh-huh." It's not always agreement. If someone says "да" while you're telling a story, they're not necessarily agreeing with everything you say. They're just signaling that they're paying attention. Context matters a lot.

Нет (net) means "no." It sounds softer than the English "no," and it's not considered rude the way a flat "no" can be in English. Russians are generally more direct than Americans or Brits, and a straightforward "нет" is perfectly normal and polite.

5. Извините (Izvinite)

"Excuse me" or "I'm sorry." This is your go-to word for about a dozen different situations.

Bumped into someone on the metro? Извините. Need to squeeze past someone in a doorway? Извините. Want to get a waiter's attention? Извините. Made a small mistake? Извините.

For a deeper, more heartfelt apology, there's Простите (prostite), but honestly, Извините covers 90% of situations you'll encounter as a beginner. Keep it simple for now.

6. Как вас зовут? (Kak vas zovut?)

"What is your name?" This is the formal version, and it's the one you should use when meeting someone for the first time.

The casual version is Как тебя зовут? (Kak tebya zovut?). Use this with children or people who've already told you to drop the formalities.

To answer, say: Меня зовут [your name] (Menya zovut [your name]). So if your name is Sarah, you'd say "Меня зовут Sarah." Literally this translates to "They call me Sarah," which sounds a bit mysterious in English but is completely standard in Russian.

Pronunciation: "Kak vas za-VOOT?" The stress falls on the last syllable. Get that right and you'll sound much more natural.

7. Я не понимаю (Ya ne ponimayu)

"I don't understand." You will need this one. A lot. And that is completely fine.

When you're just starting out, people will respond to your Russian with a flood of words you can't follow. Don't panic. Just say Я не понимаю, and most people will slow down, simplify, or switch to gestures.

A great phrase to pair with this: Повторите, пожалуйста (Povtorite, pozhaluysta), which means "Please repeat that." Between these two phrases, you can navigate almost any moment of confusion without breaking a sweat.

Some students feel embarrassed saying "I don't understand" over and over. Don't. Native speakers appreciate the effort you're making. Nobody expects you to be fluent on day one.

8. Сколько стоит? (Skolko stoit?)

"How much does it cost?" Essential for shopping, restaurants, markets, taxis, basically any situation involving money.

Point at something and say Сколько стоит? Even if you don't fully understand the answer, you can hold up your phone for the seller to type the number. Problem solved.

At a market or street stall, this phrase makes vendors take you a little more seriously than if you're just pointing and guessing. It shows you're trying, and Russians generally respect that.

9. Где...? (Gde...?)

"Where is...?" followed by whatever you're looking for. This is one of those beautifully simple Russian constructions. One tiny word does all the heavy lifting.

Где туалет? (Gde tualet?) = Where is the bathroom? This is, for obvious reasons, probably the most important "где" question you'll ever ask.

Где метро? (Gde metro?) = Where is the metro? Useful in any Russian city with a subway system.

Где выход? (Gde vykhod?) = Where is the exit? Good for malls, airports, train stations, or any building where you've gotten turned around.

You can plug in almost any noun after Где and people will understand what you're asking. Где аптека? (Where is the pharmacy?) Где банк? (Where is the bank?) It's incredibly versatile.

10. Хорошо (Khorosho)

"Good" or "okay." Russians use this word all the time as a confirmation, an agreement, or a simple positive response.

"Can you meet at 5?" "Хорошо." That's a yes, I'll be there.

"How are you?" In Russian, that's Как дела? (Kak dela?). And the most common answer is just "Хорошо." Good. Fine. All is well. Short, clean, done.

You can also use it to signal that you've understood something. A waiter explains the specials, you nod and say "Хорошо." It works in so many situations that you'll probably catch yourself overusing it. That's not a problem. Russians overuse it too.

Putting It All Together

Here's a quick conversation using only the phrases from this list. Imagine you're at a cafe in Moscow:

You: Здравствуйте!
Waiter: Здравствуйте! (and then a bunch of Russian you don't catch)
You: Извините, я не понимаю. Кофе, пожалуйста.
Waiter: Хорошо. (prepares your coffee)
You: Сколько стоит?
Waiter: (tells you the price or shows you)
You: Спасибо!
Waiter: Пожалуйста!

That's a real interaction. Nothing complicated, nothing scripted from a textbook. You walked in, greeted someone, admitted you didn't understand, asked for what you wanted, paid, and thanked them. That's a conversation. Your first one in Russian.

Now imagine a slightly more social situation. You're at a language exchange event:

You: Привет! Как вас зовут?
Them: Привет! Меня зовут Алексей. А вас?
You: Меня зовут [your name].
Them: (says something you don't fully follow)
You: Повторите, пожалуйста. Я не понимаю.
Them: (repeats more slowly)
You: А, да! Хорошо. Спасибо!

Ten phrases. Two real conversations. That's the starting point. It's small, but it's real.

Beyond the First 10 Phrases

Once these ten phrases feel comfortable and you're not fumbling over the pronunciation anymore, the next step is building vocabulary around your actual daily life. What do you eat for breakfast? What's your job? Where do you live? What do you do on weekends? The words that describe your routine are the words you'll use most often.

If you want to keep building your vocabulary between lessons, Mishka has spaced repetition flashcards and graded stories that introduce new words in context. You save any word with one tap, and the app schedules reviews so you actually remember what you learn. It's a good way to fill in the gaps between tutoring sessions without just scrolling through random word lists.

But the fastest way to go from memorized phrases to real conversation is to practice with someone who can give you feedback in real time. A tutor corrects your pronunciation on the spot, catches mistakes before they become habits, and pushes you to use what you know instead of defaulting to English. Apps are great for building knowledge. Conversation with a real person is what turns knowledge into skill.