# How do you say "congratulations" in Russian? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 12, 2002, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-congratulations-in-russian/113707 "2002-06-12T20:06:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-congratulations-in-russian/113707/1 "2002-06-12T20:06:03Z")
No Cyrillic, please - just an approximation in our alphabet. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-congratulations-in-russian/113707/2 "2002-06-12T20:19:32Z")
Say this five times fast: PazdravlyAyu. Paws-drahv-ya-yoo. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-congratulations-in-russian/113707/3 "2002-06-12T20:22:04Z")
Woops, forgot the “L” sound. Paws-drah-vull-ya-yoo. The transition between the “v” and “l” sounds should be quick, much like that between the “b” and “l” in “rubble”. ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-congratulations-in-russian/113707/4 "2002-06-12T20:34:23Z")
Thanks! so “pazdravlyayu” would be how you’d write it? ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-congratulations-in-russian/113707/5 "2002-06-12T20:44:41Z")
I s’pose. I took Russian in high school (lo, these many years ago), so I can write it in Cyrillic much more easily. 😉 So, yes, you can write it the way I did above, or maybe “Pozdravlyayu”. Actually, I think with an “o” as the second letter would be more accurate. Ï = p î = o ç = z ä = d ð = r à = a â = v ë = l ÿ = ya þ = yoo ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-congratulations-in-russian/113707/6 "2002-06-12T20:47:58Z")
It’s me again! The Cyrillic didn’t come through. Ignore the goofy characters above. ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-congratulations-in-russian/113707/7 "2002-06-12T20:50:08Z")
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I knew if I asked the biggest collection of know-everythings (not to be confused with know-it-alls) I know, someone would have the answer. Spasebo, tovarishch! (see, I know a LITTLE.) ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-congratulations-in-russian/113707/8 "2002-06-12T21:16:28Z")
And for the benefit of us non-Russian speakers, what is that supoosed to mean? I can guess “spasebo” means “thank you,” but what about the “tovarishch” part? F\_X ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-congratulations-in-russian/113707/9 "2002-06-12T21:49:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Flamsterette\_X \* > **but what about the “tovarishch” part?** It was the term of choice in the Soviet Union…means “friend” or “comrade” ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-congratulations-in-russian/113707/10 "2002-06-12T22:15:09Z")
Definitely means “comrade” these days, and some people will get offended if you call them that, what with its communist connotations and all. ---
**Author:** ![Mirage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Mirage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirage)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-congratulations-in-russian/113707/11 "2002-06-13T03:46:09Z")
Rebyata, vy ne figa ne znaete o chom govorite. I voobshe, zachem tebe znat’ kak bydet "congratulations’ po russki? ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-congratulations-in-russian/113707/12 "2002-06-13T05:07:27Z")
Thanks, **Captain Amazing** and **Eva Luna**. **Mirage** , would you mind translating what your message meant? F\_X ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-congratulations-in-russian/113707/13 "2002-06-13T12:47:12Z")
My wild stab at what Mirage was saying: (I speak Serbo-Croatian, another Slavic language, but this should be interesting!) The first part is omething about someone not knowing what they are talking about, the second part give me problems… Zachem= With what or for what? tebe=you znat=know kak=how bydet=? po russki= in russian. Would the second part be something like 'And would you know how to say ‘congratulations’ in russian? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-congratulations-in-russian/113707/14 "2002-06-13T13:22:40Z")
> [@](#): > > Paws-drah-vull-ya-yoo Which syllable is accented? ---
**Author:** ![12hazel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/919ad9/32.png) [@12hazel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/12hazel)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-congratulations-in-russian/113707/15 "2002-06-13T13:46:36Z")
ya. And the vull isn’t really a syllable with a vowel - I’d say it’s more like puh-zdrah-VLYA-yoo. Of course in this case the congrats is coming from an individual. If it’s congrats from both of us or several of us, then it’s puh-zdrah-VLYA-yem. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-congratulations-in-russian/113707/16 "2002-06-13T14:01:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mirage \* > \*\*Rebyata, vy ne figa ne znaete o chom govorite. I voobshe, zachem tebe znat’ kak bydet "congratulations’ po russki? \*\* Loosely translated, means “Guys, you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. And anyway, why on Earth would you want to know how to say “congratulations” in Russian”?