Language in Saint Petersburg
The official language of Russia is Russian. This article is full of helpful advice and basic phrases you can use to make your trip to Saint Petersburg easier.
Travelling to Saint Petersburg when you don't speak Russian can be a real challenge. While you'll see English-language signs at the airport and will probably be able to order at touristy spots, it's definitely best to arm yourself with some tools to communicate when you get there!
As well as planning your routes in advance using our transport guides and map, you can use the following list of useful phrases to get by in St Petersburg. Don't worry, we've written them phonetically, so no need to learn a new alphabet!
Useful Russian phrases
Greetings
- Hello
- Privyet
- Bye
- Poka
- Good morning
- Dobroye utro
- Good afternoon
- Dobryy den'
- Good night
- Dobryy vecher
- Welcome
- Dobro pozhalovat'
- Please
- Pozhaluysta
- Thank you
- Spasibo
- You're welcome
- Pozhaluysta
- I'm sorry
- Prosti
- Maybe
- Mozhet byt'
Common words
- Man
- Muzhchina
- Woman
- Zhenshchina
- Yes
- Da
- No
- Net
Numbers
- One
- Odin
- Two
- Dva
- Three
- Tri
- Four
- Chetyre
- Five
- Pyat'
- Six
- Shest'
- Seven
- Sem'
- Eight
- Vosem'
- Nine
- Devyat'
- Ten
- Desyat'
Drinks
- Water
- Voda
- Beer
- Pivo
- Wine
- Vino
- Milk
- Moloko
- Juice
- Sok
- Coffee
- Kofye
- Tea
- Chai
Food
- Bread
- Khleb
- Soup
- Sup
- Salad
- Salat
- Cheese
- Syr
- Egg
- Yaytso
- Potatoes
- Kartofel'
- Rice
- Ris
- Pork
- Svinina
- Beef
- Goviadina
- Chicken
- Kuritsa
- Turkey
- Indeyka
- Lamb
- Baranina