Russian · The Basics
Давай!
davai
dah-VYE · /dɐˈvaj/
Come on! / Let's go! / Alright, bye!
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"Give!"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
Not a curse, but you cannot function in spoken Russian without it, so learn it here. Literally "give," it means come on, go for it, let's do this — and, crucially, it's how Russians hang up the phone: "nu, davai, davai, poka" (alright, take care, bye). Doubled "davai-davai" is pure encouragement, hustle, get moving.
Heard in the wild
Ну всё, давай, до завтра!
Okay that's it, take care, see you tomorrow!
Where it lands
Russia (universal)
Quick answers
- What does "Давай!" mean?
- In Russian, "Давай!" means "Come on! / Let's go! / Alright, bye!". Literally it's "Give!". Not a curse, but you cannot function in spoken Russian without it, so learn it here. Literally "give," it means come on, go for it, let's do this — and, crucially, it's how Russians hang up the phone: "nu, davai, davai, poka" (alright, take care, bye). Doubled "davai-davai" is pure encouragement, hustle, get moving.
- Is "Давай!" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
- How do you pronounce "Давай!"?
- Say it "dah-VYE" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: dɐˈvaj.
Related in Russian
Ни фига! ni figa nee fee-GAH No way! / Nothing at all! / Like hell! Иди в баню! idi v banyu ee-DEE v BAH-nyoo Get lost! / Buzz off! (gentle) Остынь! ostyn' ah-STIN Calm down / Chill out Понты ponty pahn-TIH Show-off posturing / all flash, no substance Иди лесом! idi lesom ee-DEE LYE-sahm Get lost / take a hike Блин! blin BLEEN Damn! / Darn! / Shoot!
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