Time, days and hours in Russian

139 words on the topic

• час

  chas

  hour

  Both the unit of time and the time of day: Kotory chas? After dva it becomes chasa, after pyat — chasov: the form follows the number.
• сегодня

  segodnya

  today

  Inside the word a fossil hides: sevo dnya, "of this day", with an ancient pronoun. It never splits or bends, however much you want it to.
• завтра

  zavtra

  tomorrow

  From utra, "of the morning": tomorrow is what comes after the night — morning and tomorrow stay two words here, as in English.
• день

  den

  day

  A runaway vowel inside: den — dnya. Words like it are many, and the course table keeps their forms. On parting people wish you khoroshego dnya.
• утро

  utro

  morning

  Neuter: dobroye utro. Utrom — the one word that replaces the whole English phrase "in the morning".
• вечер

  vecher

  evening

  Vecherom packs the entire "in the evening" into one ending: vecherom ya chitayu doma.
• ночь

  noch

  night

  Feminine, with a vowel that runs away: noch — nochi. Nochyu tiho — the same time-ending as utrom.
• вчера

  vchera

  yesterday

  Looks like a cousin of vecher, "evening", but the kinship is only in the sound. Pozavchera — "the day before yesterday" — is the same word with a prefix.
• завтрак

  zavtrak

  breakfast

  Zavtrak — kofe i khleb: "breakfast is coffee and bread". The verb of eating it is zavtrakat.
• обед

  obed

  lunch

  The main meal of the day, taken in the early afternoon — bigger than a sandwich at a desk. Obed byl vkusnyy.
• ужин

  uzhin

  dinner, supper

  The evening meal, lighter than obed. Uzhin — sup i salat.
• два раза в день

  dva raza v den

  twice a day

  Literally "two times in the day": raz, "a time", in its counting form. Dva raza v den, posle yedy.
• во сколько?

  vo skolko?

  at what time?

  Vo is v wearing its other face before some consonants: Vo skolko? — V sem — "at what time? — at seven".
• уже поздно

  uzhe pozdno

  it is already late

  Uzhe pozdno, ya idu domoy — "it is already late, I am heading home".
• рабочий день

  rabochiy den

  workday

  Rabochiy den — vosem chasov: "the workday is eight hours" — counted plainly.
• сначала

  snachala

  first, at first

  Snachala perekusim, potom doyedem spokoyno — "first we eat, then we drive in peace" — the first of the pair.
• потом

  potom

  then, later

  Snachala muzey, potom progulka po naberezhnoy — "first the museum, then a walk along the embankment".
• после этого

  posle etogo

  after that

  Posle etogo sluchaya on vsegda beret zapasnoy klyuch — "after that incident he always carries a spare key".
• наконец

  nakonets

  finally, at last

  Nakonets otkryli sezon, i lodki vyshli na vodu — "at last the season opened, and the boats went onto the water".
• в то время как

  v to vremya kak

  while, whereas

  On chital, v to vremya kak deti sobirali konstruktor — "he read while the children built with the construction set".
• одновременно

  odnovremenno

  at the same time, simultaneously

  Dozhd i solntse shli odnovremenno, i raduga vyshla dvoynaya — "rain and sun went together, and the rainbow came out double" — the clean form is dvoynaya.
• до того как

  do togo kak

  before

  Do togo kak uyedesh, ostav klyuchi sosedu — "before you leave, leave the keys with the neighbor" — the full before-clause.
• после того как

  posle togo kak

  after

  Posle togo kak sdali dom, my vydohnuli vpervye — "after the house was handed over, we breathed out for the year" — vpervye, for the time.
• как только

  kak tolko

  as soon as

  Kak tolko stemneyet, zazhzhem kostyor — "as soon as it gets dark we will light the fire" — the instant conjunction.
• с тех пор

  s tekh por

  since then

  S tekh por on zvonit kazhduyu pyatnitsu — "since then he calls every Friday" — the clock the moment started.
• всегда

  vsegda

  always

  Zimoy zdes vsegda temno k chetyryom — "in winter it is always dark here by four" — chetyryom, four, kept.
• часто

  chasto

  often

  My chasto gulyayem u reki, yesli net dozhdaya — "we often walk by the river when there is no rain".
• редко

  redko

  rarely

  On redko yest sladkoye, no ne otkazyvayetsya ot myoda — "he rarely eats sweets, but never refuses honey".
• иногда

  inogda

  sometimes

  Inogda ya rabotayu iz kafe, kogda doma shumno — "sometimes I work from a café when it is noisy at home".
• никогда

  nikogda

  never

  Ya nikogda ne zabudu etu dorogu vdol morya — "I will never forget that road along the sea" — the verb keeps its ne.
• обычно

  obychno

  usually

  Obychno my uzhinayem v sem, no segodnya pozzhe — "usually we dine at seven, but today later" — sem, seven, kept.
• долго

  dolgo

  for a long time

  My dolgo iskali dom po staroy karte, i ne zrya — "we searched for the house a long time by the old map, and not in vain".
• каждый раз

  kazhdyy raz

  every time

  Kazhdyy raz, kogda idyot sneg, gorod stayet v probki — "every time it snows, the city jams up" — the rule of the snow.
• время от времени

  vremya ot vremeni

  from time to time

  Vremya ot vremeni on prisylayet foto svoey teplitsy — "from time to time he sends a photo of his greenhouse" — the time between times.
• до сих пор

  do sikh por

  to this day, still

  Do sikh por ne ponimayu, kak my togda ne zabludilis — "to this day I do not understand how we did not get lost then".
• вдруг

  vdrug

  suddenly

  Vdrug pogas svet, i za oknom stalo sovsem tiho — "suddenly the light went out, and outside it went very quiet".
• заранее

  zaranee

  in advance, beforehand

  Bilety kupili zaraneye, i vyshlo vdvoe deshevle — "the tickets were bought in advance, and it came out half the price" — vdvoe, twice over.
• вовремя

  vovremya

  on time, in time

  Skoraya priyekhala vovremya, i vsyo oboshlos — "the ambulance came in time, and all was well" — the word every rescue hinges on.
• срочно

  srochno

  urgently

  Mne srochno nuzhen chemodan: poyezd cherez dva chasa — "I urgently need my suitcase: the train is in two hours" — dva, two, kept.
• сразу

  srazu

  right away, right after

  Srazu za mostom nachinayetsya les, tam i ostanovimsya — "right after the bridge the forest starts; we will stop there".
• постепенно

  postepenno

  gradually

  Postepenno dom obzhivalsya: snachala svet, potom sad — "gradually the house came to life: first the light, then the garden".
• в последний момент

  v posledniy moment

  at the last moment

  On vsyo zhe vzyal zont v samyy konets, i dozhd eto otsenil — "at the last moment he took the umbrella after all, and the rain approved" — the word for the last one is the edge word: the moment stands right at the line, and the habit is faith that there is still time.
• рано или поздно

  rano ili pozdno

  sooner or later

  Rano ili pozdno pridyotsya chinit tot kran — "sooner or later that tap will have to be fixed" — the pair of fate.
• однажды

  odnazhdy

  once, one day

  Odnazhdy v detstve ya poteryalsya — "once in childhood I got lost" — the once of the stories.
• в детстве

  v detstve

  in childhood

  V detstve ya zhil u babushki — "in childhood I lived with grandma" — the location form of the years.
• в те времена

  v te vremena

  in those times

  V te vremena ne bylo telefonov — "in those times there were no telephones" — the times of the past.
• это было давно

  eto bylo davno

  it was long ago

  Eto bylo davno, ya ne pomnyu — "it was long ago; I do not remember".
• первый раз

  pervyy raz

  the first time

  Vpervye ya yekhal v metro odin — "the first time I rode the metro alone" — first times are remembered best: the first flight, the first exam; vo-pervykh, by contrast, orders thoughts, not time.
• будущее

  budushchee

  the future

  Ya dumayu o budushchem — "I think about the future" — the location form of the coming.
• прошлое

  proshloe

  the past

  Proshloe ne vernyosh — "you cannot bring the past back" — the past as a thing you cannot return.
• ближайшие планы

  blizhayshie plany

  near-term plans

  Kakie u tebya blizhayshie plany? — "what are your near-term plans?" — the plans of the next weeks.
• через год

  cherez god

  in a year

  Cherez god u menya budet novaya kvartira — "in a year I will have a new apartment" — god, a year, kept.
• постоянно

  postoyanno

  constantly

  V magazine postoyanno ochered — "there is a line at the shop constantly" — the standing of the queue.
• временно

  vremenno

  temporarily

  Magazin vremenno ne rabotayet — "the shop is temporarily closed" — the time that has an end.
• удобное время

  udobnoe vremya

  a convenient time

  Udobnoye vremya — kogda svobodny oba — "a convenient time is when both are free" — the time that suits.
• назначить время

  naznachit vremya

  to set a time

  My naznachili vstrechu na tri chasa — "we set the meeting for three" — tri, three, kept.
• во второй половине дня

  vo vtoroy polovine dnya

  in the afternoon

  Posle obeda u menya vstrecha — "in the afternoon I have a meeting" — after noon and before evening; polovina here is a part: the day splits into two halves, and the second belongs to the after-lunch business.
• ближе к вечеру

  blizhe k vecheru

  toward evening

  Blizhe k vecheru ya budu doma — "toward evening I will be home" — the approaching of the evening.
• в любое время

  v lyuboe vremya

  any time

  Mne udobno v lyuboye vremya — "any time suits me" — lyuboye, any, kept.
• не раньше пяти

  ne ranshe pyati

  not earlier than five

  Vstrecha ne ranshe pyati — "the meeting is not before five" — pyati, five, kept.
• буду вовремя

  budu vovremya

  I will be on time

  Ne perezhivay, ya budu vovremya — "do not worry; I will be on time" — the promise of the clock.
• пока не

  poka ne

  until

  Zhdi menya, poka ne vernus — "wait for me until I come back" — wait up to the moment; the ne is obligatory: without it poka means for the while.
• век

  vek

  century

  Etot dom postroili v proshlom veke — "this house was built in the century past" — a hundred years: the twentieth, live and learn, says the proverb; English century, while age leans toward the epoch — a century is not an epoch.
• эпоха

  epokha

  epoch, era

  Dlya goroda nastupila novaya epokha — "a new epoch began for the city" — a big stretch of time with a spirit of its own; English epoch exists, though an English speaker more often says era.
• десятилетие

  desyatiletie

  decade

  Desyatiletie — eto desyat let — "a decade is ten years" — built like the century word: ten years; in recent decades is how articles write of time.
• период

  period

  period

  Zima — trudnyy period dlya dorog — "winter is a hard period for the roads" — the stretch with a start and an end: of rains, of studies; English period is the same word, though it is also the dot at the end of a sentence.
• мгновение

  mgnovenie

  instant, moment

  Vsyo sluchilos v odno mgnovenie — "everything happened in an instant" — the shortest stretch of time; kin of mignut, to blink, and mig, the blink, but it lives its own life.
• длительный

  dlitelnyy

  long (duration), protracted

  Ozhidanie bylo dlitelnym — "the wait was a long one" — long in time, from dlitsya, to go on: treatment, a journey; English picks long, lengthy or prolonged as the case needs.
• на днях

  na dnyakh

  the other day, recently

  Na dnyakh my poluchili pismo — "the other day we received a letter" — said of the recent past and of the near future alike; English splits it into recently and one of these days.
• в наши дни

  v nashi dni

  nowadays

  V nashi dni novosti zhivut v telefone — "nowadays people read the news on the phone" — now, in the present time; more bookish than seychas — the way essays about the times begin.
• испокон веков

  ispokon vekov

  from time immemorial

  Ispokon vekov zdes lovili rybu — "from time immemorial fish were caught here" — literally from the very age: since the oldest times; a folk, half-archaic word: it has always been so here.
• за считаные минуты

  za schitanye minuty

  within minutes

  Novost razletelas za schitanye minuty — "the news spread within minutes" — literally within counted minutes: very fast; written with a, schitanye, and English says in a matter of minutes.
• современный

  sovremennyy

  modern, contemporary

  Sovremennyy gorod rastyot vverkh — "the modern city grows upward" — of one time with us: a city, music; English modern, while the Russian modnyy is about clothes and tastes — a different thing.
• древний

  drevniy

  ancient

  Drevniy gorod stoit na kholme — "the ancient city stands on a hill" — very old, from the depth of centuries: Rome, a manuscript; this is about millennia, not about old furniture.
• былое

  byloe

  the past, bygone days

  Vspominat byloe priyatno zimoy — "remembering the past is pleasant in winter" — what has been; neuter, and a touch poetic, the way winter evenings are.
• изредка

  izredka

  rarely, once in a while

  Izredka syuda zaezzhayut turisty — "tourists come through here once in a while" — rarely and a little at a time; from redkiy, rare, under a prefix — one word where English needs a whole phrase.
• ежедневно

  ezhednevno

  daily

  Avtobus khodit ezhednevno — "the bus runs daily" — every day: exercises, at eight sharp; one word instead of each and day.
• регулярно

  regulyarno

  regularly

  On regulyarno naveshchaet babushku — "he regularly visits his grandmother" — by the rule, no gaps: regular sessions; from Latin regula, the same root English "regular" carries.
• впервые

  vpervye

  for the first time

  Vpervye ya uvidel more v detstve — "I saw the sea for the first time in childhood" — built on the ordinal for one; vo-pervykh, by contrast, orders thoughts, not time.
• заново

  zanovo

  anew, from scratch

  Posle oshibki pismo pishut zanovo — "after a mistake the letter is written anew" — from the start, anew; from nov, and English anew or start over — zanovo stresses the from-zero beginning.
• всё чаще

  vsyo chashche

  more and more often

  Vsyo chashche ya rabotayu iz doma — "more and more often I work from home" — vsyo plus the comparative: more often, louder, harder; one pair of words shows the growth.
• по будням

  po budnyam

  on weekdays

  Po budnyam ya vstayu rano — "on weekdays I get up early" — Monday to Friday; budni are the working days, and the shop is open till nine on them.
• через раз

  cherez raz

  every other time

  Avtobus opazdyvaet cherez raz — "the bus is late every other time" — not each time but one yes, one no; English every other time counts the same way.
• раз в год

  raz v god

  once a year

  Raz v god my ezdim k moryu — "once a year we go to the sea" — the frequency through v: twice a week; English once a year counts in the same rezy.
• то и дело

  to i delo

  every now and then

  To i delo idyot dozhd — "every now and then it rains" — all the time, over and over; literally now, and the affair — one care swaps for the next.
• тем временем

  tem vremenem

  meanwhile

  Ya gotovil uzhin, tem vremenem gosti sobralis — "I was cooking dinner; meanwhile the guests gathered" — at that very time; it sews two events into one tale.
• параллельно

  parallelno

  in parallel, alongside

  Parallelno s rabotoy on uchit yazyk — "alongside work he is learning the language" — like parallel lines: at the same time as the other business.
• до тех пор

  do tekh por

  until then

  Zhdi do tekh por, poka ne pozvonyu — "wait until then, until I call" — up to the moment in question; it usually walks in a pair with poka ne, the border of the waiting.
• впоследствии

  vposledstvii

  subsequently, later on

  Vposledstvii vyyasnilos, chto on byl prav — "it later turned out he was right" — the bookish word of tales about the past; in speech one simply says potom, later.
• накануне

  nakanune

  on the eve of

  Nakanune otezda my sobrali veshchi — "on the eve of the departure we packed" — literally on the eve, the evening before, now simply the day before: of a holiday, of a departure.
• в дальнейшем

  v dalneyshem

  in the future, going forward

  V dalneyshem ya budu pisat bez oshibok — "going forward I will write without mistakes" — further on, in the future; from dal, the far, like the road going ahead.
• на этот раз

  na etot raz

  this time

  Na etot raz poezd prishyol vovremya — "this time the train came on time" — this round, now; it sets itself against the previous time.
• своевременно

  svoevremenno

  in due time, on time

  Dokumenty podali svoevremenno — "the documents were filed in due time" — at the needed time, not late; literally in one's own time.
• задним числом

  zadnim chislom

  retroactively, backdated

  Spravku oformili zadnim chislom — "the certificate was issued retroactively" — with a date from the past; a word of the paper world of certificates and orders.
• без промедления

  bez promedleniya

  without delay

  Pismo otpravili bez promedleniya — "the letter was sent without delay" — not putting it off; promedit is to stretch the time, and the old saying calls delay the sister of death.
• февраль

  fevral

  February

  The shortest, coldest month: v fevrale mnogo snega — "in February there is a lot of snow". The of-form swallows the ending.
• март

  mart

  March

  The month the women's holiday lands in. V mar uzhe vesna — "in March spring is already here".
• апрель

  aprel

  April

  V aprele dozhd i solntse — "in April, rain and sun". Month names are masculine and bend like nouns.
• май

  may

  May

  Three letters, no endings to speak of: v maye teplo — "in May it is warm".
• июнь

  iyun

  June

  Iyun opens the summer: the month summer starts with, going by the calendar.
• август

  avgust

  August

  Avgust closes the summer, and the month shares its name with the emperor "Augustus" — one word, two crowns.
• сентябрь

  sentyabr

  September

  V sentyabre deti idut v shkolu — "in September children go to school": the school year starts with the month, not the season.
• октябрь

  oktyabr

  October

  V oktyabre idyot dozhd — "in October it rains". The -br ending of the autumn months is Latin, like its English cousins.
• ноябрь

  noyabr

  November

  V noyabre padayet sneg — "in November the snow starts falling", and it usually opens the snowy season.
• декабрь

  dekabr

  December

  Dekabr closes the year. Note the spelling: the k is hard, unlike its English cousin.
• год

  god

  year

  The plural refuses the obvious: god — gody, but "two years" is dva goda and "five years" pyat let — a different word altogether.
• сутки

  sutki

  24 hours, a day and night

  Always plural, always the full round of day and night: a unit English has to spell out.
• столетие

  stoletie

  century

  Sto plus -letie: the hundred of years. "Century" and stoletie mean the same thing, and that is fine — the translation stays the same.
• минута

  minuta

  minute

  Podozhdite pyat minut — after five the noun takes the of-many form, the same border as everywhere in counting.
• секунда

  sekunda

  second

  The international word; the verb "to wait a second" needs no preposition: podozhdi sekundu.
• полчаса

  polchasa

  half an hour

  Pol plus chasa, the of-form: "half of the hour". One word where English needs three.
• полдень

  polden

  noon

  Pol plus den: half of the day, and that half is noon. V polden zharko.
• полночь

  polnoch

  midnight

  Pol plus noch: half of the night, and that half is midnight. V polnoch kholodno.
• сейчас

  seychas

  now

  Sey- is the same ancient pronoun as in segodnya. Seychas ya zanyat — "I am busy now".
• срок

  srok

  deadline, term

  The span something is due in: srok sdachi — zavtra, "the deadline is tomorrow".
• следующий

  sleduyushchiy

  next

  From sledovat, "to follow": the one that comes after. Podozhdi sleduyushchiy avtobus — "wait for the next bus".
• прошлый

  proshlyy

  last, previous

  From proshloye, "the past": rasskazhi pro proshlyy god, "tell me about last year".
• опаздывать

  opazdyvat

  to be late

  English "be late" is one verb here: opazdyvat na avtobus — "to be late for the bus". Boyus opazdyvat.
• успевать

  uspevat

  to make it in time

  The verb of making it: uspet na poezd — "to catch the train". Khochu uspevat bolshe — "I want to get more done in time".
• снова

  snova

  again

  Napishi mne snova — "write to me again". Its twin opyat means the same; style picks between them.
• скоро

  skoro

  soon

  Uzhe skoro otpusk — "the vacation is soon". The time adverb, not the manner one.
• давно

  davno

  long ago, for a long time

  My davno znakomy — "we have known each other a long time". Covers both "long since" and "for ages".
• недавно

  nedavno

  recently

  Ne plus davno: not long ago. Ya nedavno pereekhal — "I moved recently".
• поздно

  pozdno

  late

  Uzhe pozdno, idi spat — "it is already late, go to bed". The d is silent in speech.
• рано

  rano

  early

  The twin of pozdno. Babushka rano zakryvayet magazin — "grandma closes the shop early".
• быстро

  bystro

  fast, quickly

  The manner word: taksi yedet bystro — "the taxi drives fast". Its comparative, bystreye, is what you say when asking for a faster ride.
• легко

  legko

  easily

  Zdes legko dyshat — "it is easy to breathe here"; the impersonal flip of "you can breathe easily".
• трудно

  trudno

  with difficulty, hard

  The twin of legko. Mne trudno dyshat — "it is hard for me to breathe" — the person goes into the to-form.
• только что

  tolko chto

  just now, a moment ago

  Taksi bylo zdes tolko chto — "the taxi was here just this second": the immediate past.
• утром

  utrom

  in the morning

  One word does the whole English phrase: utro ("morning") plus an ending. The same recipe gives dnyom and vecherom.
• днём

  dnyom

  in the daytime

  From den ("day") with the same ending as utrom. Dnyom ya rabotayu — "in the daytime I work".
• вечером

  vecherom

  in the evening

  Vecher ("evening") plus the same time-ending; the English phrase folds into one word.
• ночью

  nochyu

  at night

  From noch with the same ending, and "at night" is done in one word. Nochyu tiho — "it is quiet at night".
• каждый день

  kazhdyy den

  every day

  Kazhdyy ("each") plus den in its plain form — no extra ending. Kazhdyy den ya rabotayu.
• весь день

  ves den

  all day

  Ves ("all") plus den: the whole day in two words. Vsya nedelya, "the whole week", follows the same pattern.
• момент

  moment

  moment

  The same Latin word as English, with the stress moved to the end: mo-MENT. Odin moment — "one moment".
• часы

  chasy

  watch, clock

  One word for the device and for the school subject "hours" — context tells them apart. Moi chasy idut pravilno, "my watch runs true".
• который час

  kotoryy chas

  what time is it?

  Literally "which hour" — no verb "is" needed. The answer is a plain number: seychas tri.
• когда-нибудь

  kogda-nibud

  sometime

  Kogda plus -nibud: at some point or other, ever. Kogda-nibud ya budu vrachom.

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How it sounds in a sentence

A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.

• Который час?

  Kotoryy chas?

  What time is it?
• Сегодня я работаю, а завтра иду в город

  Segodnya ya rabotayu, a zavtra idu v gorod

  Today I work, and tomorrow I am going to the city
• Завтра мы идём в город

  Zavtra my idyom v gorod

  Tomorrow we are going to the city
• Сегодня хороший день

  Segodnya khoroshiy den

  Today is a good day
• Утро было тихое

  Utro bylo tikhoe

  The morning was quiet
• Вечером я читаю дома

  Vecherom ya chitayu doma

  In the evening I read at home

What is worth knowing about these words

час (chas) — hour. Both the unit of time and the time of day: Kotory chas? After dva it becomes chasa, after pyat — chasov: the form follows the number.

сегодня (segodnya) — today. Inside the word a fossil hides: sevo dnya, "of this day", with an ancient pronoun. It never splits or bends, however much you want it to.

завтра (zavtra) — tomorrow. From utra, "of the morning": tomorrow is what comes after the night — morning and tomorrow stay two words here, as in English.

день (den) — day. A runaway vowel inside: den — dnya. Words like it are many, and the course table keeps their forms. On parting people wish you khoroshego dnya.

Test yourself

Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.

How to learn the set instead of just reading it

Today, tomorrow, in the morning, at six. You cannot arrange to meet without these — let alone understand the answer.

A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.

• Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many times
  Adesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
• Study spread over days wins not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many times
  Mawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.

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