Приветствия - Greetings!

A short post tonight about Russian greetings.  Let's say one day you find yourself at the Quarry Point WalMart in Sandy, UT, and you want to buy a watch.  You might notice that the lady who works behind the desk and speaks with an accent is named Svetlana.  Chances are good she speaks Russian!  Wouldn't it be great if you could greet her in Russian?  Конечно (of course)!

The proper greeting, should you meet someone for the first time, when greeting someone on formal terms (like your boss), or generally when greeting a group of people, is:

Здравствуйте!

Say, what?  When you pronounce it the long way, it sounds like Zdrast-vweetye (the в is almost silent and the stress is on the "a").  But, fortunately, even Russians prefer not to spit out that mouthful of letters and you can shorten it to a much more manageable Zdras'tye. This is the equivalent of saying hello.

If you're greeting a friend, loved one, child, or anyone on informal terms, the greeting is:

Привет!

So, that's pronounced Preevyet, with the stress on the "e".  This is the equivalent of saying hi.  Something to remember, though, is that unlike Americans who like to greet people everytime they see each other, no matter how often that may be, Russians greet each other the first time they meet that day, but then feel no need to continue re-greeting throughout the day.  So, if you happen to know a Russian, and they look at you funny each time you say "hi" in the hallway, it's because they already greeted you that day, and there's no need to keep saying hi.

When introducing yourself, you would say:

Меня зовут (insert your name here).  Pronounced Menya zavoot... and it means, my name is (literally it is translated as "they call me"). 

To ask someone their name, you would say:

Как вас зовут? or Как тебя зовут?
The first, Kak vas zavoot, is the formal "what is your name?" and would be used with people you don't know (pretty much anyone who isn't a kid), or in formal situations.  The second, Kak tebya zavoot is the informal, and would be used generally only with kids.

The proper response after being introduced to someone would be to say:

Очень приятно с вами познакомиться, or Очень приятно.

The long form, Ochen priyatno s vami poznakomitsya, means very pleased to meet you, but you can often shorten it to simply Ochen priyatno, and retain the same meaning.

To ask someone how they are doing, you would say:

Как у вас дела? or Как дела?

Kak oo vas dela is a much more formal version (for people you're NOT familiar with, or just met), and the simpler Kak dela can be used much more often (even with those you have a formal relationship with, ie: на вы).

Examples:
Ivan: Здравствуйте, меня зовут Иван.  Как вас зовут?
Misha: Здравствуйте, меня зовут  Миша. Очень приятно. Как у вас дела?...

Babushka: Ой, мальчишка, привет! Как тебя зовут?
Little Boy: Здра'сте, бабушка.  Меня зовут Дима.