Сколько лет, сколько зим!

It is an idiomatic exclamation. Word for word, it means something like How many summers, how many winters!, but native speakers use it like Long time no see!

So even though the individual words are ordinary Russian words, the whole expression should be learned as a fixed phrase.

Yes, the basic dictionary form is год. But Russian changes nouns depending on grammar.

With сколько, Russian normally uses the genitive plural, so год becomes лет.

A few examples:

• один год — one year
• два года — two years
• пять лет — five years
• сколько лет? — how many years?

So сколько лет is completely normal grammar.

For the same reason: сколько usually takes the genitive plural.

The noun зима becomes:

• зима — winter
• зимы — winters / of winter, depending on context
• зим — genitive plural

So сколько зим is grammatically correct after сколько.

This is part of the idiom’s style. Russian often uses paired seasonal or time-related words in expressive phrases. Here, лет and зим together emphasize that a very long time has passed.

Also, лет can historically mean summers/years, so the phrase has an old-fashioned, colorful feel. It sounds more vivid than just saying Давно не виделись.

Yes, in a sense. Russian often omits words that are easy to understand from context, especially in exclamations.

Сколько лет, сколько зим! is not a full literal sentence in the way English usually expects one to be. It is more like an emotional set expression: So many years, so many winters!

That incomplete, exclamatory style is part of what makes it sound natural.

You use it when you unexpectedly meet someone you have not seen for a long time, or when you reconnect after a long break.

Typical situations:

• running into an old friend
• seeing a former classmate
• hearing from someone after years of silence

It is usually a reaction at the moment of meeting or reconnecting, not a neutral factual statement.

It is usually informal to neutral. It sounds warm, expressive, and conversational.

You would commonly say it to:

• friends
• relatives
• classmates
• colleagues you know well

In a very formal business context, it may sound too emotional or familiar. In that case, people might choose something more neutral, such as:

• Давно не виделись. — We haven’t seen each other in a long time.
• Сколько лет прошло! — So many years have passed!

Normally, no. This phrase implies that:

1. you already knew the person before, and
2. a long time has passed since your last meeting or contact.

So it does not work for a first meeting.

A little, yes — but in a natural, familiar way. It is still understood and used, but it has a somewhat colorful, traditional feel compared with more neutral modern phrases.

That is why it can sound charming, friendly, or slightly playful.

They are similar, but not identical in tone.

• Сколько лет, сколько зим! — more idiomatic, emotional, lively, often said as an exclamation when you meet someone
• Давно не виделись. — more straightforward, neutral, and common in everyday speech

So if you want a phrase that sounds more like Long time no see!, the idiom is a good match. If you want something simpler and less colorful, use Давно не виделись.

The main stresses are:

СкОлько лет, скОлько зим!

A rough pronunciation guide:

• Сколько ≈ SKOL-ka
• лет ≈ lyet
• зим ≈ zeem

The phrase is usually said with lively, friendly intonation, often with surprise or delight.

Usually, yes. This phrase is most natural as an exclamation because it expresses emotion.

So the standard punctuation is:

Сколько лет, сколько зим!

A period is possible in special contexts, but it would feel flatter and less natural for the usual greeting-like use.

Not naturally. A word-for-word translation would sound strange in English.

The best translation is usually by function, not by individual words. In most cases, the natural English equivalent is:

Long time no see!

That is why learners should memorize Сколько лет, сколько зим! as a complete expression rather than trying to build it literally each time.