Home/Vocabulary/“goodbye”
A1How to saydo svidániya / poká

How to say “goodbye” in Russian

Полite or casual, and a couple of warm extras that make you sound like you have been here a while.

Quick answer

До свида́ния · Пока́

do svidániya / poká — polite and casual — the same split as with hello

The options

До свида́ния.Goodbye. — polite, literally “until the meeting”
Пока́!Bye! — friends
Уви́димся!See you!
До за́втра.See you tomorrow.
Счастли́во!All the best! — warm, casual
Споко́йной но́чи.Good night. — only when going to bed

Leaving a shop or an office

A simple До свида́ния as you walk out is expected and polite. Всего́ до́брого (“all the best”) is a step warmer and never wrong.

What you hear back

До свида́ния!Goodbye!
Пока́! Уви́димся.Bye! See you.
Всего́ до́брого.All the best.

Typical mistakes

Пока́ to your professor

До свида́ния

пока́ belongs with ты.

До свида́ние

До свида́ния

до takes the genitive: свида́ние → свида́ния.

Check yourself

You leave a pharmacy. What do you say?

Strangers get the polite до свида́ния.

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