How to say "thank you" in Russian: 11 common phrases (2023)

My first trip to Russia in 2016 was a complete success. I didn't know many Russian words at the time. But I'm glad I took the time to learn some ways to say "thank you" in Russian.

Why?

Being able to express gratitude correctly is an elementary part of human communication.

Once you get to know them, Russians can be very hospitable. And so it's absolutely vital that you can thank them for the good food, drinks and help they can provide.

Before we get started, I want you to understand that you don't have to know all the ways to say thank you.

Some are informal.

Some are formal.

Some are commonly used.

Some are rarely used.

And some are even a little funny or dramatic.

In addition to the translation below each word, I also added how and where to use it. That's because you don't want to say the super-informal "спасибочки" to the customs officer when you land in Moscow.

How do you say "thank you" in Russian?

Below are 11 common ways to say thank you in Russian.

I recommend you pick one or two to practice with. Being able to say it correctly sometimes is much better than trying to stutter and pick the "perfect" one for every situation.

Thank you in Russian - thank you (thank you)

So that's what you decidedI want to learn Russian🇧🇷 majoritycommon phrasethanking someone and showing gratitude is:

Thanks.

The good thing about this word is that you can pronounce it literally in almost any situation. Official state? You can thank the police officer when checking your driver's license. Or thank the doctor who just gave you the medical checkup.

Informal situation? You can say спасибо to close friends when they pass you salt at the table. Or someone much younger than you who said "Cheers" when you had to sneeze.

It also doesn't matter whether you want to thank a specific person or a group of people. This will work perfectly.

Verdict:If you want to maximize the results of your efforts, this is the best way to say thank you in Russian. It's easy to learn, easy to pronounce, and you can use it in literally any situation.

Thanks in Russian - thank you / you (thanks vam / tebye)

If you want to add a modifier to спасибо and specifically direct your gratitude to someone, you can say:

• thanks -gracias
• thanks -thank you (informal)
• thanks -gracias
• thanks to him/her/themthank him/her/them

This way of saying thank you in Russian adds a personal touch. You don't just randomly say thank you, you explicitly say thank you to that person.

Adding this personal modifier makes it stronger.

Verdict:In all cases where you would say this sentence, you can add a modifier and thank that person (or group of people) specifically. This makes it more personal and strengthens the power of your appreciation.

Vielen Dank / vielen Dank - vielen Dank / vielen Dank (spasibo bolshoye / bolshoye spasibo)

If you want the expression "thank you" in Russian to be stronger and express more gratitude, you can add the word "big". It doesn't matter if you add it before or after спасибо большое and большое спасибо is correct.

This translates to "thank you" or "thank you very much". Just like a regular thank you, you can address it to the person you want to thank to make it more specific.

Verdict:say большое спасибо when you're really grateful and want to show someone.

Thank you - thank you / thank you (ogromnoe thank you)

Огромное literally means "huge". But this phrase means "thank you very much". So if you say that, you're really grateful. Where the previous form can still be used in formal situations, it is best not to use it in overly formal situations. Ogromnoe спасибо is like большое спасибо, but stronger.

Sou grato - sou grato (ya blagodaren)

Literally translated, this phrase means “I am grateful”. It has a more authentic and formal connotation, so you probably wouldn't tell close friends and family about it. This is what you would say if someone really did something really nice for you.

It's important to know that grateful is said for men and grateful for women.

You can add a lot modifier if you want to increase the gratitude aspect: I am very grateful.

I am very grateful to you, thank you (ya blagodaryu bas)

Thank you comes from 2 oldest words of the Russian language:

• blago - blessing
• give - give (as a gift)

So when you put each word together, it's a way of saying thank you in the form of a blessing.

Благодарю is the first person conjugation of the verb, so this word literally means "I give you a blessing". You can also use this to thank a close friend or group of people:

• gracias:this is the formal form.
• gracias:Tell that to a group of people.
• gracias:tell that to a friend.

While it has lost some of that meaning over time, it is still considered a very formal way of thanking someone and expressing appreciation.

Verdict:You probably don't need this way of saying thank you in Russian. But it's good to know when someone tells you.

Thank you thank you

Coming to a super informal thank you, you can use the word спасибочки. It's a normal thank you, but in a small way. It's something you only tell very close friends or family.

I appreciate your help - I appreciate your help (ya tsenyu Vashu pomoshch')

If someone specifically offered you help and you want to express your gratitude, say the phrase я ценю Вашу помощь. It's a formal way of saying thank you for someone's help.

You are very kind - You are very kind (Vy ochen 'dobry

If you want to say that someone is very kind to help you, say the phrase "Вы очень добры". And since adjectives in the Russian language change depending on the noun of the person they are describing, here are some other ways:

• you are very nice (informal masculine)
• you are very nice (informal feminine)

Thank you for helping - Thank you for your help (Thanks za pomoshch')

If you want to thank someone for their help, but in a slightly less formal way than the previous sentence, you can say this sentence.

If you add "за помощь", it means "for your help". So now you can also use this to say thank you for other things like:

• thanks for the car
• thanks for the meal - thanks for the meal

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, thank you from the bottom of my heart (blagodaryu ot vsey dushi)

If you have a reason to be super grateful and want to thank someone from the bottom of your heart/soul, say this sentence.

For example, if you had visa problems and threatened to be deported and someone sorted it out. In this case, a "благодарю от всей души".

Because of this, it is not used as often. And as a foreigner who has just started learning Russian, people probably don't expect that from you. If you're more in the middle, you can also jokingly say that when someone does something small for you. But make sure you have a smile on your face and make it clear that you're kidding.

3 Easy Ways to Say "You're Welcome" in Russian

You're not the only person who says thank you in a two-way conversation. If you arecommunicate with russians, there will often be people saying one of the above phrases to you.

In such cases, it's good to be able to react appropriately. Below are 3 phrases you can respond withhappily in Russian.

"You're welcome" in Russian - please (pozhaluysta)

This is the easiest way to answer. When someone says "thank you" in Russian, reply with a simple пожалуйста. This is the simplest and most common way to respond.

"Un placer" - por nada (nya za chto)

Literally translated, this phrase means “not for what”. A better way to feel the meaning of this phrase would be "oh, it's nothing".

You can say this phrase when you feel that someone is saying "thank you very much". When they're super grateful but what you did wasn't an effort for you.

I recommend you avoid this as it has a somewhat snobbish connotation. Like you don't accept the person's gratitude and want to tone it down.

“glad to help” (rad pomoch’)

You can also respond by saying you're happy to help. "Glad to help" is the literal translation of рад помочь. And you can use it as long as you're really happy to help someone.

happy to help is the male version. So if you're a woman, say the phrase "I'm happy to help."

What is the next step?

Now you know how to say thank you in Russian. I recommend that you first focus on saying спасибо. It's the simplest way to say thank you. And it can be used in virtually any situation.

After that, you can learn to use some modifiers like огромное, большое, Вам or тебе. And if you want, you can leave it here if you're just learning some Russian for fun.

If you are serious about learning the Russian language and want to speak it well (not just with friends and family), then you can work on learning more manners. You can learn shapes like "я очень благодарен" or "спасибо за помощь".

After all, there are many ways to say thank you in Russian. The most important part is that you can spot them when someone tells you. And that you can answer yourself with one of them.