Quick answer
"How are you?" in Russian (Rissian) is Как дела? — kak dee-LA (informal) or Как у вас дела? — kak oo VAS dee-LA (formal). The most common answer is Нормально (nar-MAL'-na, "fine") or Хорошо, спасибо (kha-ra-SHO, spa-SEE-ba, "good, thanks"), followed by А у тебя? / А у вас? – "And you?"
"How are you in Rissian" is one of the most common ways people search for this phrase, but the language is Russian; "Rissian" is a typo that stuck. This guide gives you the real Russian questions, the answers you'll hear, the difference between polite вы and familiar ты, and one cultural point that surprises English speakers: in Russian, "How are you?" is a genuine question.
Pronunciation key: capital letters mark the stressed syllable, "kh" is the sound in Scottish "loch", and an apostrophe (') marks a soft consonant.
Как дела?: The Standard "How Are You?"
Как дела? literally means "How (are) affairs?" – Russian leaves out "are" in the present tense. It is the phrase you will hear most, between friends, relatives and colleagues who know each other.
How to pronounce Как дела?
Transliteration: kak dee-LA (often written kak dela)
Syllables: как де-ла
- Stress the last syllable: dee-LA. DYE-la is a common learner's mistake.
- The unstressed е in дела is short and light, close to "dee" or "di".
- Как is a short, clipped "kak".
- The voice rises on the stressed syllable and drops at the end – Russian questions with a question word don't rise at the end the way English yes/no questions do.
A phone call with an old friend
– Джек! Сто лет тебя не слышала! Как ты? (DZHEK! sto lyet tee-BYA nee SLY-sha-la! kak TY?) – Jack! I haven't heard from you in ages (lit. "a hundred years")! How are you?
– Потихоньку. Работы много. А ты как? (pa-tee-KHON'-koo. ra-BO-ty MNO-ga. a ty KAK?) – Getting by. Lots of work. And how are you?
– Всё хорошо, спасибо! (FSYO kha-ra-SHO, spa-SEE-ba!) – All good, thanks!
Note the natural reply pattern: a modest answer (Потихоньку), a detail, and the question returned as А ты как? – another common way to say "And you?".
Other Ways to Ask "How Are You?" in Russian
| Russian | Say it | Literal meaning | Formality and when to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Как дела? | kak dee-LA | "How (are) affairs?" | The standard "How are you?" for friends, family, colleagues you know; relaxed but not rude |
| Как у тебя дела? | kak oo tee-BYA dee-LA | "How (are) affairs with you?" | Informal (ты). Slightly fuller, more attentive version |
| Как у вас дела? | kak oo VAS dee-LA | same, with вы | Formal (вы) or to a group |
| Как ты? | kak TY | "How (are) you?" | Informal and personal – often after illness, bad news or a long time apart |
| Как вы? | kak VY | same, with вы | Formal equivalent, caring tone |
| Как поживаете? | kak pa-zhee-VA-ee-tye | "How are you getting on?" | Formal and slightly old-fashioned; polite with older people |
| Как поживаешь? | kak pa-zhee-VA-eesh | same, with ты | Informal, a bit jokey among friends |
| Как жизнь? | kak ZHYZN' | "How's life?" | Casual |
| Что нового? | shto NO-va-va | "What of new?" | "What's new?" – casual, often right after Привет |
| Как самочувствие? | kak sa-ma-CHOOST-vee-ye | "How's your well-being?" | Asking about health, e.g. to someone who was ill |
| Как сам? / Как сама? | kak SAM / kak sa-MA | "How (are you) yourself?" | Very casual; сам to a man, сама to a woman |
| Как оно? | kak a-NO | "How's it?" | Slangy "How's it going?" |
Grammar tip: it's never "Как ты дела?"
Learners often combine the two patterns into Как ты дела?, which is wrong. Say either Как ты? or Как у тебя дела? (formal: Как вы? or Как у вас дела?).
How to Answer "How Are You?" in Russian
| Russian | Say it | Meaning | Tone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Отлично! | at-LEECH-na | Excellent / great | Very positive |
| Хорошо | kha-ra-SHO | Good / well | Positive |
| Всё хорошо | FSYO kha-ra-SHO | All good | Positive |
| Неплохо | nee-PLO-kha | Not bad | Mildly positive |
| Нормально | nar-MAL'-na | Fine / OK (lit. "normally") | Neutral – the most common answer |
| Ничего | nee-chee-VO | Alright (lit. "nothing") | Neutral, a little modest |
| Потихоньку | pa-tee-KHON'-koo | Getting by (lit. "quietly, slowly") | Neutral, very Russian understatement |
| Так себе | tak see-BYE | So-so | Mildly negative |
| Бывало и лучше | by-VA-la ee LOOCH-she | Been better | Negative |
| Плохо | PLO-kha | Bad | Negative – expect a follow-up question |
| Я в порядке | ya f pa-RYAT-kye | I'm OK (lit. "I'm in order") | Reassuring someone who is worried |
| Лучше всех! | LOOCH-she FSYEKH | Better than everyone! | Joking, upbeat |
Politeness requires returning the question: А у тебя? (a oo tee-BYA) with ты, or А у вас? (a oo VAS) with вы. A complete, polite answer therefore sounds like Хорошо, спасибо. А у вас? – "Good, thank you. And you?" (For more ways to thank people, see thank you in Russian.)
Example conversations
– Привет! Как дела? (pree-VYET! kak dee-LA?) – Hi! How are you?
– Нормально. А у тебя? (nar-MAL'-na. a oo tee-BYA?) – Fine. And you?
– Тоже ничего. Что нового? (TO-zhe nee-chee-VO. shto NO-va-va?) – Alright too. What's new?
– Добрый день! Как у вас дела? (DOB-ry DYEN'! kak oo VAS dee-LA?) – Good afternoon! How are you?
– Спасибо, хорошо. А у вас? (spa-SEE-ba, kha-ra-SHO. a oo VAS?) – Fine, thanks. And you?
– Тоже всё хорошо, спасибо. (TO-zhe FSYO kha-ra-SHO, spa-SEE-ba.) – All good too, thank you.
Going Beyond "How Are You?"
Once you know someone a little, it is natural to ask about specific parts of their life. These questions are all informal-friendly; with вы they work just as well, because they contain no "you".
| Russian | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Как работа? | kak ra-BO-ta | How's work? |
| Как семья? | kak seem'-YA | How's the family? |
| Как учёба? | kak oo-CHYO-ba | How are your studies? |
| Как выходные? | kak vy-khad-NY-ye | How was the weekend? |
| Как доехал? / Как доехала? | kak da-YE-khal / da-YE-kha-la | Did you get here OK? (to a man / woman) |
| Как ты там? | kak ty TAM | How are you doing (over there)? – common in messages |
Answering "What's new?"
If a friend asks Что нового?, the classic answers are Ничего особенного (nee-chee-VO a-SO-bee-na-va), "nothing special", and Всё по-старому (FSYO pa-STA-ra-moo), "everything as before".
Reacting to the answer
| If they say… | You can reply | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good news | Рад за тебя! / Рада за тебя! | rat za tee-BYA / RA-da za tee-BYA | I'm happy for you! (man / woman speaking) |
| Bad news | Сочувствую. | sa-CHOOST-vooyu | I'm sorry to hear that (lit. "I sympathise") |
| They're ill | Выздоравливай! / Выздоравливайте! | vyz-da-RAV-lee-vai / vyz-da-RAV-lee-vai-tye | Get well soon! (ты / вы) |
| A hard time | Держись! | deer-ZHYS' | Hang in there! |
| All is well | Отлично! / Здорово! | at-LEECH-na / ZDO-ra-va | Great! (here Здорово is stressed on the first syllable) |
Formal вы or Informal ты?
- ты forms – Как у тебя дела?, Как ты?, А у тебя? – for friends, family, children and colleagues who already use ты with you.
- вы forms – Как у вас дела?, Как вы?, Как поживаете?, А у вас? – for older people, people you've just met in a formal setting, your manager, and any group.
- Plain Как дела? has no "you" in it, so grammatically it fits both – but it is conversational, so with a senior person the fuller Как у вас дела? sounds more respectful.
It's a real question
In English, "How are you?" is often part of the greeting, and nobody expects details. In Russian, Как дела? is normally asked only of people you actually know, and they may really tell you – including about problems at work or a sick relative. Russians don't ask it of cashiers, waiters or strangers.
Answers also tend toward understatement. Нормально or Потихоньку is a perfectly happy answer; an automatic, very cheerful Отлично! can sound as if you mean something has gone especially well.
Common Mistakes
- Saying "Как ты дела?" – use Как ты? or Как у тебя дела?
- Stressing DYE-la. It is dee-LA.
- Asking strangers. Greet a shop assistant with Здравствуйте, not Как дела?
- Translating "I'm good" word for word. Я хороший means "I am a good person". Say Хорошо or У меня всё хорошо (oo mee-NYA FSYO kha-ra-SHO).
- Forgetting to ask back. Add А у тебя? / А у вас?
- Mixing ты and вы in one sentence, e.g. Как у вас дела? А у тебя?
Keep building: our English to Russian phrasebook covers numbers, days, travel and emergency phrases, and our article on Russian idioms explains colourful expressions you'll hear once the small talk gets going.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say how are you in Rissian?
"Rissian" is a common misspelling of Russian. How are you in Russian is Как дела? (kak dee-LA) informally, or Как у вас дела? (kak oo VAS dee-LA) formally.
How do you say how are you formally in Russian?
Use Как у вас дела? (kak oo VAS dee-LA) or the more old-fashioned Как поживаете? (kak pa-zhee-VA-ee-tye). Both use the polite вы form.
How do you answer Как дела?
Common answers are Хорошо (kha-ra-SHO, "good"), Нормально (nar-MAL'-na, "fine"), Отлично (at-LEECH-na, "excellent") and Так себе (tak see-BYE, "so-so"). Then ask back: А у тебя? or А у вас?
How do you say "I'm fine, thank you" in Russian?
Say Хорошо, спасибо (kha-ra-SHO, spa-SEE-ba) or Всё хорошо, спасибо (FSYO kha-ra-SHO, spa-SEE-ba). If someone is worried about you, Я в порядке (ya f pa-RYAT-kye) means "I'm OK".
What does Как дела literally mean?
It literally means "How (are) affairs?" or "How are things?". Дела is the plural of дело, "matter, affair", and Russian drops the verb "to be" in the present tense.
Can I say Как дела? instead of hello?
No. In Russian it is a real question, used with people you know, usually after a greeting such as Привет or Здравствуйте. Don't use it with strangers or service staff.