Preparing useful words for everyday situations

• Здравствуйте (zdravstvuyte) is a polite way to say “Good day” or “Hello.”
• Спасибо (spasibo) means “Thank you”; Пожалуйста (pozhaluysta) means “Please” and also “You’re welcome.”
• Где находится …? (gde nakhoditsya …?) asks, “Where is …?”
• Сколько стоит? (skolko stoit?) means, “How much does it cost?”
• Я не понимаю (ya ne ponimayu) means, “I don’t understand”; Повторите, пожалуйста (povtorite, pozhaluysta): “Please repeat that.”
• Written-down names and addresses in Cyrillic are useful to show people while travelling.

For a first encounter, “Здравствуйте” (Good day), “Пожалуйста” (Please) and “Спасибо” (Thank you) are enough. The polite form of address is suitable for conversations with people you don’t know. For a simple question, try “Вы говорите по-английски?” (Do you speak English?) and “Я не понимаю” (I don’t understand). Say your chosen phrases aloud and save them offline too, so you can access them without an internet connection.

When you arrive, keep your destination address, stop and preferred direction of travel close at hand. “Где находится …?” means “Where is …?”; you can add a name or address to the question. For the journey from the terminal, note down your destination and stop; at the airport, the terminal, baggage and onward travel are the first things to get your bearings. Transfers and local transport and Air travel and arrival at the airport are part of these arrival details.

For arrival at your accommodation, have the property name, street, house number, booking number and expected arrival time clearly written down. Save the address in Cyrillic and also write it in Latin characters. “Где находится мой отель?” means “Where is my hotel?”; you can keep booking details and contact information with your offline travel documents. If you arrive early or have a long stopover, searching for accommodation by destination and location can help you find somewhere suitable to stay.

Your passport number, date of birth and the spelling of your name should match the details on your booking documents. Your passport and personal documents should be accessible while you’re travelling; you can write down contact details and your accommodation address separately.

“Сколько стоит?” asks for the price. “Вода” (voda) means water, and “счёт, пожалуйста” (schyot, pozhaluysta) means “The bill, please.” If you have an allergy or intolerance, a short written note in Russian is helpful, as individual words can easily be missed in conversation. Words for food, drinks, prices and the bill come in handy when shopping at a market or ordering in a café; markets, cafés and regional cuisine are common everyday situations.

A simple way to ask about payment is “Можно картой?” (mozhno kartoy?) — “Can I pay by card?” Which payment methods you can use depends on the country and the provider. You can include cash, card payments and your daily budget in your personal payment plan; a second available payment method can serve as a backup.

For trains and buses, important details include departure time, destination station, platform and track. “Где вокзал?” means “Where is the station?”; “Где автобус?” asks where the bus is. When changing services, focus on your ticket, destination station and departure time; for bus and ferry routes, you’ll also need the stop or pier. Train travel and railway stations and Long-distance buses and ferry connections are examples of these specific situations.

When travelling by car, writing down place names and addresses in advance can help if pronunciation differs from the Latin transliteration. For vehicle pickup, include the return location, agreed time and any visible damage to the vehicle in your paperwork. Rental cars and getting around locally therefore require different details from train or bus journeys. Visas and border crossings involve separate documents: Entry requirements and documents and visas and permits depend on your destination and nationality.

“Повторите, пожалуйста” means “Please repeat that”; “Медленнее, пожалуйста” (medlenneye, pozhaluysta) means “More slowly, please.” “Помогите, пожалуйста” (pomogite, pozhaluysta) means “Please help me.” For a clear, specific question, include the place, time, name and what you need. In an emergency, you should also know how to contact the local emergency and police services. Safety and emergencies should therefore be part of your preparations.

Write down the name and phone number of someone you trust, including the country code; keep a copy of the contact details on paper as well. If your travel arrangements change or you need to stay overnight, keep backup options and important contacts handy: backups, contacts and a Plan B. Before you leave, prepare your documents, transport details and payment methods alongside practical travel information.

How do I pronounce «Здравствуйте»?

The first в is silent. The greeting sounds roughly like “zdrástwujtje”; you can use it to greet someone you don’t know politely.