Translate English to Russian
Russian is spoken by roughly 250 million people worldwide and serves as an official language in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. It is also widely understood across former Soviet countries. Whether you need to respond to a business inquiry from Moscow, read a product listing from a Russian marketplace, or send a message to a friend in St. Petersburg, paste your text above and let the translator handle the conversion.
Common English to Russian translations
| English | Russian | Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hello | Здравствуйте | ZDRAHV-stvuy-tye | ||
| Good morning | Доброе утро | DOB-ro-ye OO-tro | ||
| Thank you | Спасибо | spa-SEE-ba | ||
| Please | Пожалуйста | pa-ZHAH-loo-sta | ||
| How much does this cost? | Сколько это стоит? | SKOL-ka EH-ta STO-eet | ||
| Where is the metro? | Где метро? | gdye met-RO | ||
| I do not understand | Я не понимаю | ya nye pa-nee-MA-yoo | ||
| Can you help me? | Вы можете мне помочь? | vy MO-zhe-tye mnye pa-MOCH | ||
| I would like tea | Я бы хотел чай | ya by kha-TYEL chai | ||
| The bill, please | Счёт, пожалуйста | schyot pa-ZHAH-loo-sta | ||
| Nice to meet you | Приятно познакомиться | pree-YAT-na paz-na-KO-meet-sa | ||
| Goodbye | До свидания | da svee-DA-nee-ya | ||
| I need a doctor | Мне нужен врач | mnye NOO-zhen vrach | ||
| Excuse me | Извините | eez-vee-NEE-tye |
Tips for English to Russian translation
Russian uses the Cyrillic alphabet, which has 33 letters. Some look like Latin letters but represent different sounds: С is pronounced like English “S,” Р sounds like “R,” and Н is “N.” Other letters have no Latin equivalent at all, like Ш (sh), Щ (shch), and Ъ (hard sign, which has no sound but affects the preceding consonant). Learning to read Cyrillic takes a few days of focused practice, but it unlocks the ability to sound out any Russian word.
Russian has six grammatical cases, which means nouns, adjectives, and pronouns change their endings depending on their role in the sentence. The word for “book” (книга) becomes книгу when it is the direct object, книге when something is given to it, and книгой when used as an instrument. These case endings carry information that English expresses through word order and prepositions.
Russian verbs come in pairs: imperfective (ongoing or habitual action) and perfective (completed, one-time action). “I was reading” and “I read (finished)” use different verb forms: читал (imperfective) vs. прочитал (perfective). English makes this distinction through tense and context, but Russian bakes it directly into the verb. Getting the aspect right is one of the hardest parts of Russian for English speakers.
Word order in Russian is more flexible than in English because case endings already show which word does what. “The cat caught the mouse” can be rearranged in several ways without changing the core meaning. However, the position of words still affects emphasis and style. Putting a word at the end of a sentence gives it the most weight. If something sounds oddly emphasized in your translation, try rearranging the word order.
About the Russian language
Russian is an East Slavic language, closely related to Ukrainian and Belarusian. It has been a global language of science, literature, and diplomacy since the 18th century. Writers like Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Chekhov produced some of the most influential works in world literature in Russian, and the language remains one of the six official languages of the United Nations.
The modern Cyrillic alphabet used for Russian was developed from the earlier Glagolitic script by followers of Saints Cyril and Methodius in the 9th century. Over the centuries, it was reformed several times, most recently in 1918 when several letters were removed to simplify the system. Today, variations of Cyrillic are used to write over 50 languages across Eastern Europe and Central Asia, including Bulgarian, Serbian, Mongolian, and Kazakh.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Translate as often as you like with no registration, no fees, and no daily word limits.
Yes. The translator produces standard Russian in Cyrillic script. You can copy and paste the result into any application that supports Unicode, which includes virtually all modern software.
Yes. Click the speaker button next to any phrase. Russian stress patterns are unpredictable and affect vowel sounds, so listening is especially helpful for getting pronunciation right.
Russian uses a case system with six grammatical cases. Nouns, adjectives, and pronouns change form depending on whether they are the subject, object, indirect object, or serve another role in the sentence. This is normal and not a translation error.
For casual messages, travel phrases, and everyday emails, the output is solid. For academic papers, legal documents, or official correspondence, have a native Russian speaker proofread the text. Register and formality nuances can be tricky.
Ты is informal “you” for friends, family, and children. Вы (capitalized in writing) is formal, used with strangers, elders, and in professional settings. Using ты with someone you barely know is considered rude in Russian culture.
Russian has a steep initial learning curve because of the Cyrillic alphabet, case system, and verb aspects. However, pronunciation is fairly consistent, and once you grasp the patterns, the language becomes more predictable. The Foreign Service Institute classifies Russian as a Category III language, estimating about 1,100 hours of study for proficiency.
Yes. Use our Russian to English translation page for the opposite direction.
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