Do you already know приве́т and can say здра́вствуйте without tying your tongue in knots? Congratulations — you’ve got the essentials down. But step outside the classroom, and you’ll hear plenty of other ways Russians greet each other, from relaxed everyday phrases to colorful colloquialisms.
To get a feel for real-life Russian, let’s look at some more colorful ways to say hello.
Ско́лько зим, ско́лько лет! — “So many winters, so many summers!” It has the same meaning as “long time no see” in English. Warm and informal, it’s understood by any Russian speaker, though it’s probably less common among people under 25.
Каки́е лю́ди! This energetic exclamation is even more informal and expresses surprise and delight at seeing a friend, especially if you haven't seen them in a long while. Be careful not to use it with people you address as вы or don’t know well, but if you say it to a friend's kid, they will likely be flattered.
Кака́я встре́ча! conveys the same feeling, but is less familiar. You can use it with all kinds of people, even your professor of Russian, if the encounter is unexpected and pleasantly surprising.
Also in Russia we love to add little emotional nuances to words by using different suffixes or transforming words.
Приве́тики! — a slightly girlish, informal variant of приве́т.
Дра́тути! — Did you recognize здра́вствуйте in it? It's a sort of clownish way to say hello, imitating a simpleton's speech.
Преве́д, медве́д! — This one was a popular meme around 2006-2010. It's based on spelling and pronunciation distortion of "Приве́т, медве́дь"("Hello, bear") for the sake of a funny rhyme. Some people still like and use it.
And finally, even though asking "How are you?" is not a necessary part of a Russian greeting ritual, if you really have time to hear about what's going on in someone's life, you can spice up your "Как дела́?" using these phrases instead:
Как пожива́ете? — a very nice polite phrase.
Как жизнь молода́я? — typically is used by older people addressing young family members or friends.
Каки́е пироги́? — This one is my favourite; in my family we all like to say it. Not sure where the "pies" come from, but the phrase actually means "How are things going?"
One tip — to sound natural and ensure your language is appropriate for the communicative situation, first spend some time being an observer — start noticing how people use these phrases. When they feel more familiar, you are ready to enrich your Russian. Your Russian friends will be thrilled!