THE MOST POPULAR WAYS TO SAY “GOOD-BYE” IN RUSSIAN
До свидания da svee-DA-nee-ya good-bye
До свидания is a formal good-bye, and you would use it with a person or people whom address in “вы”.
Пока! pa-KA bye
Пока is informal, and is used spoken Russian with someone you can address in “ты”.
The “good-byes” below are informal, but sometimes they can be used in formal situations. This would depend on the context and on whom you are speaking with. If you are at a workplace, and you are unsure you can always say “до свидания” until you get to know people you work with a little better.
До завтра! da ZAF-tra See you tomorrow!
До послезавтра! da pas-lee-ZAV-tra see you the day after tomorrow!
До встречи! da FSTRYE-chee See you later!
До вечера! da VYE-chi-ra See you tonight!
Прощай! pra-SHAY Good-bye
“Прощай” is rarely used in spoken Russian, but you might see it in Russian literature. “Прощай” conveys dramatic mood and usually, you would say “прощай!” if you think that you will never see that person again.
On the contrary, if you know exactly when you will see your friend, you can use any of the “good-byes” below
До пятницы! da PYAT-nee-tsi till Friday
If you know you will see your friend on Friday, or you can always substitute Friday with another day of the week.
До апреля! da ap-RYE-lya till April
You can substitute April with a different month.
Увидимся в воскресенье! oo-VEE-deem-sya v vask-ri-SYEN’-ye see on Sunday!
Of course, in all examples above you can substitute days of the week or months above with any other day of the week a month, or a date.
These two “good-byes” are variations of “пока”.
Покедово! pa-KYE-da-va bye (informal)
“Покедово!” comes from of “Пока!” and is also used in informal speech.
Пока! Пока! pa-KA pa-KA bye
Давай! da-VAY bye
“Давай!” means “Give!” or “Let’s…” literally, but in this case it’s used as a slang word and is used as “bye” in Russian.
“See you” in Russian is:
Увидимся! oo-VEE-deem-sya See you!