How to Say Goodnight in Russian

What do Russians usually say before going to bed? Here is a quick guide on how to say goodnight in Russian the most natural way. There is one very common way to say goodnight in Russian and it is ‘spokoynoy nochi’, used by the majority of Russian speakers. Some drop the word ‘nochi’, which stands for ‘night’, and just say ‘spokoynoy’ for ‘good’, to sound more careless. To sound very colloquial when saying goodnight in Russian transform ‘spokoynoy nochi’ into ‘spoki’, preferred by young people, or ‘spokushki’ which also has a tender touch to it. Used less often but also quite common are ‘priyatnykh snov’ and ‘sladkikh snov’ which both translate as ‘sweet dreams’, with the second being a bit sweeter and thus normally used when speaking to people you are close to. One more less standard way to say goodnight in Russian is ‘myagkikh podushek’ which stands for ‘soft pillows’ and is perceived by most as cute and childish. So we recommend to avoid it in formal settings and with people you do not feel very familiar with.