How to Express Time in Russian: Hours, Days, and Months
Expressing time in Russian is an essential skill for daily conversations, whether you’re discussing plans, setting up meetings, or talking about past and future events. Learning to express time in Russian correctly is crucial for clear and effective communication. Russian has unique grammatical structures and vocabulary for telling time, referring to days of the week, and mentioning months. This guide will walk you through the most important aspects of Russian time expressions and provide tips to help you master them with confidence.
Whether you’re studying in Berkeley, San Francisco, Oakland, or anywhere else in the world, learning how to talk about time in Russian will greatly improve your fluency. Mastering time expressions allows you to communicate effectively, schedule meetings, plan trips, and share experiences in Russian, making conversations more natural and meaningful.
Why Learning Time Expressions in Russian is Important
Understanding how to express time in Russian is one of the key components of fluency. Time references are present in everyday conversations, whether you're arranging a meeting, explaining your schedule, or talking about past events. Imagine trying to book a train ticket, set a dinner reservation, or simply discuss your daily routine—all of these require the ability to accurately express time in Russian.
Unlike English, Russian time expressions involve grammatical cases, unique sentence structures, and number agreement that may seem challenging at first. However, once you break them down, they follow logical patterns that make communication much easier. By the end of this article, you will be able to confidently tell the time, name days of the week, talk about months, and use essential time-related phrases in Russian.
Challenges of Expressing Time in Russian
For many learners, Russian time expressions seem complicated due to several linguistic differences from English:
The Use of Cases – When telling time, Russian relies heavily on the genitive, nominative, and prepositional cases, which change word endings.
Unique Number Rules – Unlike English, where numbers remain the same, Russian numbers change form based on their grammatical function.
Flexible Word Order – Russian allows for varied word order, which can make Russian time expressions appear different in various contexts.
Distinct Verb Forms for Time Reference – Talking about past, present, and future events requires a solid understanding of verb aspects in Russian grammar.
Despite these challenges, once you recognize the core patterns, learning to express time in Russian becomes much easier. By practicing daily and applying time expressions in real-life situations, you’ll develop a strong foundation in Russian communication.
How This Guide Will Help You
This article is designed to help you learn Russian by breaking down time expressions into clear, structured steps. We will cover:
How to ask for and tell the time (hours and minutes)
How to use days of the week in conversation
How to talk about months and seasons in Russian
How to reference years and specific timeframes
Common phrases and practical examples for real-life situations
By the end of this guide, you will have the knowledge and confidence to express time in Russian naturally, whether you’re making plans, discussing events, or simply chatting with native speakers.
How to Tell Time in Russian (Hours and Minutes)
1. Asking for the Time
To ask for the time in Russian, you can say:
Который час? (What time is it?)
Сколько времени? (What’s the time?)
Both are commonly used in casual and formal situations.
2. Telling the Hour
When stating the hour in Russian, you use the nominative case for numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4, but for 5-12, you use the genitive case:
1:00 — Один час (One o’clock)
2:00 — Два часа (Two o’clock)
5:00 — Пять часов (Five o’clock)
3. Expressing Minutes
To indicate minutes, use:
Четверть (quarter) — 1/4 of an hour
Половина (half) — 1/2 of an hour
Без (without) — used to subtract minutes from the next hour
Examples:
2:15 — Четверть третьего (A quarter past two)
4:30 — Половина пятого (Half past four)
5:50 — Без десяти шесть (Ten minutes to six)
Days of the Week in Russian
1. The Seven Days of the Week
Russian days of the week follow a Monday-first system:
Понедельник (Monday)
Вторник (Tuesday)
Среда (Wednesday)
Четверг (Thursday)
Пятница (Friday)
Суббота (Saturday)
Воскресенье (Sunday)
2. Using Days in Sentences
Сегодня понедельник. (Today is Monday.)
Я приеду в пятницу. (I will arrive on Friday.)
Мы ходим в музей каждую субботу. (We go to the museum every Saturday.)
How to Talk About Months in Russian
1. List of Russian Months
The months in Russian are similar to English, but their grammatical use differs:
Январь (January)
Февраль (February)
Март (March)
Апрель (April)
Май (May)
Июнь (June)
Июль (July)
Август (August)
Сентябрь (September)
Октябрь (October)
Ноябрь (November)
Декабрь (December)
2. Using Months in Sentences
In Russian, months are usually in the prepositional case when referring to when something happens:
В январе холодно. (It’s cold in January.)
Мы поедем в Москву в июле. (We will go to Moscow in July.)
Take Your Russian Skills to the Next Level
Mastering time expressions is essential for fluent communication. At Polyglottist Language Academy, we offer both in-person and online Russian classes where students learn to express time naturally and confidently. Our small group classes (3-6 students) are led by native Russian-speaking instructors with advanced degrees in Russian language, Russian grammar, and linguistics.
Whether you're in Berkeley, San Francisco, or Oakland, or studying remotely, we provide expert guidance to help you succeed.
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