How do you say "to be" in Russian?

In Russian, "to be" is быть (bytʹ). It is a verb.

Listen to the pronunciation:

Pronunciation

быть (romanisation: bytʹ) is written using the Cyrillic alphabet.

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Questions about быть

How do you pronounce быть?

быть is romanised as bytʹ in Russian. This romanisation gives you an approximate pronunciation for English speakers. Listen to the audio on this page for the native pronunciation.

How is быть written in Russian?

быть is written using the Cyrillic alphabet. The romanisation is bytʹ. Learning to read the Cyrillic alphabet takes time, but Noun Town teaches vocabulary through gameplay so the writing becomes familiar through repeated exposure.

Is быть formal or casual?

быть is a common verb used in everyday Russian speech. The level of formality in a sentence comes from the surrounding words and grammatical forms rather than from this word alone.

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Russian language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation.