The phrases on this page are the conversational glue that separates a textbook learner from someone who sounds like a real speaker. None of them translates literally. Ничего́ can mean "nothing," "never mind," "it's fine," or "not bad" depending on the moment; Сейча́с rarely means "right now"; Ни пу́ха ни пера́ literally wishes you "neither down nor feather." The trick is to stop translating word-by-word and learn each one as a fixed unit with a pragmatic job to do — a button you press in a particular social situation. Below, each phrase comes with its literal sense, its real-world use, and any grammar worth noticing.
"Good luck!" — Ни пу́ха ни пера́!
This is the standard Russian equivalent of English "break a leg" — said to someone before an exam, an interview, a performance. Literally it means "neither down nor feather," an old hunters' superstition: you wish for no catch out loud so as not to jinx the real hunt. The set, ritual reply is К чёрту! ("to the devil!") — you must "curse back" or the wish doesn't work.
Two grammar points hide in it. Ни… ни… ("neither… nor…") governs the genitive, which is why пух → пу́ха and перо́ → пера́ (see the genitive forms). And there's no verb — it's a frozen wish, like English "Cheers!"
— За́втра экза́мен. — Ни пу́ха ни пера́! — К чёрту!
— I've got an exam tomorrow. — Break a leg! — Thanks! (lit. 'To the devil!')
Ни пу́ха ни пера́ тебе́ на собесе́довании!
Good luck at your interview! — genitive пу́ха, пера́ after ни… ни…
"How are you?" and the answers
Как дела́? ("How are you?", lit. "How [are] affairs?") is the all-purpose greeting-question. The plural noun дела́ ("affairs") is why answers often come back in set phrases rather than full sentences. The most useful replies sit on a scale from great to terrible.
| Russian | English / force |
|---|---|
| Всё в поря́дке | Everything's fine / in order |
| Норма́льно | Fine, OK (neutral) |
| Ничего́ | Not bad, can't complain |
| Так себе́ | So-so, meh |
| Не о́чень | Not great |
— Как дела́? — Всё в поря́дке, спаси́бо, а у тебя́?
— How are you? — Everything's fine, thanks, and you?
— Как жизнь? — Да так себе́, уста́л о́чень.
— How's life? — Eh, so-so, really tired. — Так себе́ = a lukewarm, slightly negative answer.
Ничего́ — the chameleon
Ничего́ literally means "nothing" (genitive of ничто́), but as a conversational reply it stretches across a whole range of meanings. This is the single most pragmatically slippery word for learners. Context and intonation decide everything.
| Use | English |
|---|---|
| — Извини́! — Ничего́! | — Sorry! — It's nothing / never mind! |
| — Как дела́? — Ничего́. | — How are you? — Not bad. |
| Ничего́ стра́шного | No big deal / nothing to worry about |
| Ничего́ не понима́ю | I don't understand a thing (literal 'nothing') |
— Прости́, я опозда́л. — Ничего́, я то́лько что пришла́.
— Sorry I'm late. — Never mind, I just got here too. — Ничего́ = 'it's fine'.
Упа́л? Ничего́ стра́шного, встава́й.
Took a fall? No big deal, get up. — Ничего́ стра́шного, a fixed reassurance.
Дава́й(те) — "come on / let's / OK / bye"
Дава́й is the imperative of дава́ть ("to give"), but as a particle it has lost its literal meaning entirely. It proposes, urges, and even signs off a phone call. With -те it's the polite/plural Дава́йте. Followed by a perfective first-person-plural verb, it forms suggestions: Дава́й пойдём ("let's go").
Дава́й встре́тимся за́втра в семь.
Let's meet tomorrow at seven. — Дава́й + perfective 'we' form = a suggestion.
Ну всё, мне пора́. Дава́й, пока́!
OK, I've got to go. Take care, bye! — Дава́й as a casual sign-off, especially on the phone.
— Сходи́м в кино́? — Дава́й!
— Shall we go to the movies? — Yeah, let's! — Дава́й as enthusiastic agreement.
Quick-reaction phrases
A cluster of short replies handle agreement, thanks, and plans. Learn them as buttons.
| Russian | English / force |
|---|---|
| Договори́лись | Deal / it's settled (lit. "we've agreed") |
| Не за что | You're welcome / don't mention it |
| С удово́льствием | With pleasure / I'd love to |
| На вся́кий слу́чай | Just in case |
| В о́бщем | Anyway / in short / basically |
| Ка́жется | It seems / I think / apparently |
Договори́лись is literally a past-tense verb ("we have agreed") frozen into a one-word "deal!" Не за что ("[there's] nothing to [thank] for") is the standard reply to спаси́бо. На вся́кий слу́чай uses the accusative слу́чай ("a case / occasion") in a fixed phrase.
— Встре́тимся у вхо́да в во́семь. — Договори́лись!
— Let's meet at the entrance at eight. — Deal! — Договори́лись seals a plan.
— Спаси́бо большо́е за по́мощь! — Да не за что.
— Thanks so much for the help! — Oh, don't mention it. — Не за что = 'you're welcome'.
Возьми́ зонт на вся́кий слу́чай — мо́жет пойти́ дождь.
Take an umbrella just in case — it might rain. — На вся́кий слу́чай, a fixed adverbial.
— Помо́жешь мне за́втра? — С удово́льствием.
— Will you help me tomorrow? — I'd be glad to. — С удово́льствием = 'gladly'.
Сейча́с — the great false friend
Textbooks gloss Сейча́с as "now," and it can mean that. But in everyday speech it usually means "in a moment / hold on / I'm coming" — the equivalent of "just a sec," often with no immediate action at all. A waiter who says Сейча́с may not appear for several minutes. Tone and context tell you whether it's literal or a polite "soon-ish."
— Ты идёшь? — Сейча́с, то́лько ку́ртку наде́ну.
— Are you coming? — One sec, just putting my jacket on. — Сейча́с = 'in a moment', not 'now'.
Сейча́с принесу́ вам меню́.
I'll bring you the menu right away. — here Сейча́с really does mean 'right now / shortly'.
Common Mistakes
❌ — Ни пу́ха ни пера́! — Спаси́бо!
Pragmatically wrong — replying 'thank you' supposedly jinxes it. The fixed answer is К чёрту!
✅ — Ни пу́ха ни пера́! — К чёрту!
— Break a leg! — Thanks! (lit. 'To the devil!')
❌ Ни пух ни перо́!
Case error — ни… ни… governs the genitive, so it must be ни пу́ха ни пера́.
✅ Ни пу́ха ни пера́!
Good luck! — genitive пу́ха, пера́.
❌ — Спаси́бо! — Пожа́луйста не за что.
Don't stack both replies; pick one. To 'thank you' answer either Пожа́луйста or Не за что, not both.
✅ — Спаси́бо! — Не за что.
— Thanks! — Don't mention it.
❌ Я приду́ сейча́с (meaning: this very second, dropping everything).
Misleading — Сейча́с usually softens to 'in a bit'. For an emphatic 'right this instant' add пря́мо: пря́мо сейча́с.
✅ Я приду́ пря́мо сейча́с.
I'm coming right now (this instant). — пря́мо сейча́с forces the literal 'now'.
❌ — Как дела́? — Я хорошо́.
Don't translate 'I'm good' literally. Use a set reply: Хорошо́ / Всё в поря́дке / Норма́льно, with no 'я'.
✅ — Как дела́? — Хорошо́, спаси́бо.
— How are you? — Good, thanks.
Key Takeaways
- These phrases are fixed pragmatic units — learn the social situation each one fits, not the word-by-word translation.
- Ни пу́ха ни пера́! = "break a leg"; reply К чёрту!, never спаси́бо. The genitive (пу́ха, пера́) comes from ни… ни….
- Ничего́ ranges from "nothing" to "never mind / it's fine / not bad"; Так себе́ = "so-so."
- Дава́й(те) proposes, urges, and signs off ("OK, bye"); Договори́лись = "deal"; Не за что = "you're welcome."
- Сейча́с usually means "in a moment / hold on," not literally "now" — add пря́мо сейча́с for the emphatic "right this instant."
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- Genitive: FormsA2 — The genitive (роди́тельный паде́ж) is one of the most-used and most-varied cases. The singular is tidy: masc/neuter -а/-я (стола́, окна́, музе́я), feminine -ы/-и (кни́ги, неде́ли, но́чи). The plural is the single hardest ending set in Russian — a three-way split between zero ending (often with a fleeting vowel: книг, о́кон, де́вушек), -ов/-ев (столо́в, музе́ев, отцо́в), and -ей (ноже́й, словаре́й, ноче́й). Learn the decision procedure, not a word list.
- Aspect in the ImperativeB1 — Commands force an aspect choice too: perfective for a single concrete request expecting completion (Прочита́й э́то! Купи́ хлеб!), imperfective for process, habit, and — crucially — polite invitations and 'go ahead' permission (Сади́тесь! Входи́те!); and negative commands flip the default, with imperfective for a prohibition (Не открыва́й!) but perfective for a warning against an accidental result (Не упади́! Не забу́дь!).