If you’re studying Russian as a foreign language, it’s important for you to practice your oral communication skills as regularly as possible.
Speaking on the phone with native Russians is a great way to hone your speaking skills, become familiar with new words and expressions, and gain more confidence in yourself. But we understand that it can be a daunting task for language learners!
To help you get a strong start, we’ve compiled a list of all the basic Russian phone call phrases you need to know. By the time you’re done reading, you’ll be able to make and take phone calls in Russian with ease—whether you’re chatting with a friend or reserving a table at an upscale restaurant.
Let’s go!
Table of Contents
- Picking up the Phone
- Saying Who You Are
- Stating the Reason for the Call
- Asking to Speak to Someone
- Asking Someone to Wait
- Leaving a Message
- Asking for Clarification
- Ending the Phone Call
- Sample Phone Conversations
- Conclusion
1. Picking up the Phone
The first set of Russian phone call phrases you’ll need to know are those for greeting the caller. Here are a few standard greeting expressions you can use:
- Aлло. (Allo.) – “Hello.”
- Я вас слушаю. (Ya vas slushayu.) – “I’m listening to you.”
- Слушаю. (Slushayu.) – “I’m listening.”
It’s said that 95% of Russian phone conversations start with Алло.
2. Saying Who You Are
Once you’ve greeted the caller, it’s time to introduce yourself. You can use any of the following Russian phone phrases for this:
- Это ___. (Eto ___.) – “This is ___.”
- Это говорит ___. (Eto govorit ___.) – “This is ___.”
- Вас беспокоит ___. (Vas bespokoit ___.) – “This is ___.”
3. Stating the Reason for the Call
After introducing yourself, you’ll need to explain why you’re calling. There are several ways to do this, depending on the situation. These Russian phone call phrases and their English equivalents will be helpful:
- Вы мне звонили. (Vy mne zvonili.) – “I’m returning your call.”
- Я звоню, чтобы спросить / уточнить / подтвердить… (Ya zvonyu, chtoby sprosit’ / utochnit’ / podtverdit’…) – “I’m calling to ask / clarify / confirm…”
- Мне нужно поговорить с кем-то насчёт… (Mne nuzhno pogovorit’ s kem-to naschyot…) – “I need to talk to somebody about…”
If you’re not confident in your knowledge of the Russian language, it’s a good idea to come up with what you’re going to say during the phone call in advance.
4. Asking to Speak to Someone
If there’s a specific person you’d like to speak to, you can use one of these basic Russian phone phrases to let the receiver know this:
- Я хочу поговорить с ___. (Ya hochu pogovorit’ s ___.) – “I want to talk to ___.”
- Это ___? (Eto ___?) – “Is this ___?”
- Могу я поговорить с ___? (Mogu ya pogovorit’ s ___?) – “May I talk to ___?”
- Пожалуйста, позовите ___. (Pozhaluysta, pozovite ___.) – “Call ___, please.”
5. Asking Someone to Wait
If you receive a call and need some time to check something, you could ask the other person to wait by using one of these basic Russian phone phrases:
- Подождите минутку, я проверю. (Podozhdite minutku, ya proveryu.) – “Just a moment, let me check.”
- Минуточку. (Minutochku.) – “Just a minute.” [very informal]
- Вы подождёте немного? (Vy podozhdyote nemnogo?) – “Will you wait a bit?”
- Не вешайте трубку. (Ne veshayte trubku.) – “Hold the line, please.”
If you’re really busy with something and will not be available in the next few minutes, don’t make the other person wait. It’s better to have him or her call you back.
6. Leaving a Message
If you’re unable to reach the person you wanted to speak with, you should be able to leave them a message. Here are a few ways you can leave a message over the phone in Russian:
- Передайте ___, что… (Peredayte ___, chto…) – “Let ___ know that…”
- Можете, пожалуйста, попросить [имя] перезвонить на номер [номер телефона]? (Mozhete, pozhaluysta, poprosit’ [imya] perezvonit’ na nomer [nomer telefona]?) – “Can you please tell [name] to call me back at [phone number]?”
- Передайте ___, что я звонила/звонила. (Peredayte ___, chto ya zvonila/zvonila.) – “Please tell ___ that I’ve called.”
7. Asking for Clarification
As we mentioned earlier, it can be quite difficult for a non-native speaker to talk over the phone in Russian. If you fail to understand what the other person is saying, you can ask for clarification by using one of these simple Russian phone phrases:
- Можете, пожалуйста, повторить? (Mozhete, pozhaluysta, povtorit’?) – “Could you repeat, please?”
- Вас плохо слышно. (Vas ploho slyshno.) – “I can’t hear you well.”
- Я не расслышал / расслышала. (Ya ne rasslyshal / rasslyshala.) – “I didn’t hear.”
- Пожалуйста, говорите погромче. (Pozhaluysta, govorite pogromche.) – “Speak louder, please.”
Talking to a Russian consultant using the Russian phone conversation phrases we’ve covered? Remember that he or she is probably overwhelmed with work, so be patient!
8. Ending the Phone Call
There are a few different ways you could end your phone call, depending on the situation. Below are several phrases you could use to sound polite and friendly while ending the conversation.
- Я могу вам чем-то ещё помочь? (Ya mogu vam chem-to eshchyo pomoch’?) – “Is there anything else I can help you with?”
- Вы мне очень помогли, спасибо! (Vy mne ochen’ pomogli, spasibo!) – “You helped me a lot, thank you!”
- Спасибо за помощь. (Spasibo za pomoshch’.) – “Thank you for your help.”
- Увидимся в… (Uvidimsya v…) – “See you at…”
- До встречи. (Do vstrechi.) – “See you.”
- Хорошего дня / вечера. (Horoshego dnya / vechera.) – “Have a good day / evening.”
- До свидания. (Do svidaniya.) – “Goodbye.”
- Пока. (Poka.) – “Bye.”
9. Sample Phone Conversations
Now that you know quite a few Russian phone call phrases, it’s time to take it a step further. We’ve prepared two sample dialogues for you. The first one is an informal chat between two friends and the second one is a formal conversation between one of the friends and a cafe manager. You’ll see some of the phrases we’ve covered already in these dialogues, so be attentive while reading!
Conversation #1
Дима:
Алло.
Allo.
“Hello.”
Рома:
Алло, Дима, это Рома.
Allo, Dima, eto Roma.
“Hello, Dima, this is Roma.”
Дима:
Привет, Рома, рад тебя слышать! Как у тебя дела?
Privet, Roma, rad tebya slyshat’! Kak u tebya dela?
“Hello, Roma, glad to hear from you! How are you?”
Рома:
Дела отлично, твои как?
Dela otlichno, tvoi kak?
“I’m fine, what about you?”
Дима:
пойдёт. Что нового?
Poydyot. Chto novogo?
“I’m okay. What’s new?”
Рома:
Ничего особенного… Слушай, я тут хочу пообедать в субботу в новом кафе на Арбате. Называется «Кофебум». Может, слышал?
Nichego osobennogo… Slushay, ya tut hochu poobedat’ v subbotu v novom kafe na Arbate. Nazyvaetsya «Kofebum». Mozhet, slyshal?
“Nothing special… You know, I want to have lunch at a new cafe on Arbat on Saturday. It’s called Сoffeeboom. Have you heard about it?”
Дима:
Да, я собирался туда сходить, но всё никак.
Da, ya sobiralsya tuda shodit’, no vsyo nikak.
“Yes, I was going to go there, but still haven’t.”
Рома:
Здорово! Буду я, Женя и Макс. Ты пойдёшь с нами?
Zdorovo! Budu ya, Zhenya i Maks. Ty poydyosh’ s nami?
“Nice! There will be Zhenya, Max, and I. Will you join us?”
Дима:
А во сколько вы собираетесь?
A vo skol’ko vy sobiraetes’?
“Well, what time are you going to meet?”
Рома:
В три.
V tri.
“At three.”
Дима:
Отлично, я как раз к этому времени освобожусь.
Otlichno, ya kak raz k etomu vremeni osvobozhus’.
“Nice, I’ll be free right by this time.”
Рома:
Вот и договорились! Тогда до скорого.
Vot i dogovorilis’! Togda do skorogo.
“I guess we’ve got a deal. See you soon!”
Дима:
До скорого!
Do skorogo!
“See you!”
Lunch with friends is certainly a good plan for Saturday!
Conversation #2
Екатерина:
Кафе «Кофебум», на связи менеджер Екатерина, чем я могу вам помочь?
Kafe «Kofebum», na svyazi menedzher Ekaterina, chem ya mogu vam pomoch’?
“This is manager Ekaterina from Coffeeboom Cafe, what can I help you with?”
Рома:
Здравствуйте, Екатерина, я хотел бы забронировать у вас столик на субботу.
Zdravstvuyte, Ekaterina, ya hotel by zabronirovat’ u vas stolik na subbotu.
“Hello, Ekaterina, I’d like to book a table for Saturday.”
Екатерина:
Минутку… Какое время вас интересует?
Minutku… Kakoe vremya vas interesuet?
“Just a minute… What time are you interested in?”
Рома:
Три часа дня.
Tri chasa dnya.
“Three in the afternoon.”
Екатерина:
Сколько будет гостей?
Skol’ko budet gostey?
“How many guests will be there?”
Рома:
Четыре человека.
Chetyre cheloveka.
“Four people.”
Екатерина:
На чьё имя бронировать?
Na ch’yo imya bronirovat’?
“For whom should I book?”
Рома:
Роман.
Roman.
“For Roma.”
Екатерина:
Хорошо, забронировала вам столик на имя Роман, на субботу, на три часа дня.
Horosho, zabronirovala vam stolik na imya Roman, na subbotu, na tri chasa dnya.
“Okay, I’ve made a reservation for Roma, on Saturday, at three in the afternoon.”
Рома:
Всё верно, спасибо!
Vsyo verno, spasibo!
“That’s right, thank you!”
Екатерина:
Будем вас ждать! До свидания.
Budem vas zhdat’! Do svidaniya.
“We’ll be waiting for you. Goodbye.”
Рома:
До свидания.
Do svidaniya.
“Goodbye.”
10. Conclusion
In this guide, you’ve learned more than 30 Russian phone call phrases! You can use them to engage in simple dialogues, in both formal and informal situations.
But don’t stop yet!
There are many other Russian phone phrases for use in specific situations, not to mention a wealth of additional expressions and vocabulary to discover.
If you’re serious about your studies and want to learn about the Russian language and culture in a fun, engaging manner, check out RussianPod101.com! We provide numerous study materials, including vocabulary lists and audio/video lessons for learners at every level.
Struggling to get very far on your own? Then you might enjoy the benefits of our MyTeacher service. You can study with an experienced private tutor who speaks the language natively. They can help you better understand certain concepts and even help you with your pronunciation!
Before you go: Have you ever made a phone call in Russian? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!
