Days of the Week in Russian

The days of the week in Russian (дни недели, dni nedeli) largely follow a numerical pattern, similar to several other Slavic languages. Their names predominantly derive from their position in the week, with some interesting exceptions that reflect cultural and religious influences.

In Russian, the first day of the week is considered to be Monday (понедельник, ponedelnik), and the names of Tuesday through Friday directly reference their numerical position. The weekend days, Saturday and Sunday, have special names with Judeo-Christian origins.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore everything you need to know about Russian days of the week, including proper Cyrillic representation, pronunciation guides, etymology, cultural context, and practical usage.

Russian pronunciation can be challenging for English speakers due to some unique sounds and stress patterns. Here's a detailed guide to help you pronounce each day correctly:

Key Pronunciation Points

• The stress in Russian words is variable and not marked in standard writing. It's crucial for correct pronunciation.
• Vowels in unstressed syllables are often reduced (pronounced differently than when stressed).
• Russian "р" is rolled/trilled (similar to Spanish "r").
• The letter "ч" is pronounced like "ch" in "cheese."
• The letter "ь" (soft sign) doesn't have a sound of its own but softens the preceding consonant.

Breakdown by Day

• понедельник (ponedelnik): pa-nee-DYEL'-neek. The stress is on the third syllable (DYEL). The "л" before the soft sign is softened.
• вторник (vtornik): FTOR-neek. The stress is on the first syllable. The initial "в" is often pronounced more like "f" before "т".
• среда (sreda): sree-DA. The stress is on the second syllable (DA). The Russian "р" is slightly rolled.
• четверг (chetverg): chet-VYERK. The stress is on the second syllable (VYERK).
• пятница (pyatnitsa): PYAT-nee-tsa. The stress is on the first syllable (PYAT).
• суббота (subbota): soo-BO-ta. The stress is on the second syllable (BO). Note the double "б" sound.
• воскресенье (voskresenye): va-skree-SYE-nye. The stress is on the third syllable (SYE). The final "е" is pronounced as "ye".

Russian weekday names have fascinating etymological origins that reflect both counting systems and religious influences:

Numerical and Positional Origins

• понедельник (ponedelnik): Derives from "после недели" (posle nedeli), literally meaning "after the week" or "after Sunday." This reflects the old Slavic concept where Sunday (неделя, nedelya) was considered the week's main day or day of no work (не "not" + делать "to do").
• вторник (vtornik): From "второй" (vtoroy), meaning "second," as it's the second day of the week.
• среда (sreda): Related to "середина" (seredina), meaning "middle," as it stands in the middle of the workweek.
• четверг (chetverg): From "четыре" (chetyre), meaning "four," as it's the fourth day.
• пятница (pyatnitsa): From "пять" (pyat'), meaning "five," as it's the fifth day.

Religious Influences

• суббота (subbota): Derived from the Hebrew "Shabbat" through Greek "Sabbaton," referring to the Jewish day of rest.
• воскресенье (voskresenye): Literally means "resurrection," reflecting the Christian belief in Christ's resurrection on this day. Before Christianity's adoption in Russia, this day was called "неделя" (nedelya, "no work day").

Grammar of Russian Weekdays

In Russian, the days of the week are nouns that follow standard grammatical rules for nouns, including declension across six cases. For everyday usage, you'll most commonly encounter days in these forms:

• Nominative case (naming the day): "Сегодня понедельник" (Today is Monday)
• Genitive case (typically with "do", "posle", or when counting): "до понедельника" (until Monday)
• Accusative case (with preposition "v" meaning "on"): "в понедельник" (on Monday)

Days with Prepositions

To express "on [day of the week]," Russian uses the preposition "в" (v) followed by the day in the accusative case:

• "в понедельник" (v ponedelnik) - on Monday
• "в среду" (v sredu) - on Wednesday
• "в пятницу" (v pyatnitsu) - on Friday

Expressing Recurring Events

For activities that happen regularly on a particular day, Russians typically use the plural form of the day in the accusative case, preceded by "по" (po):

• "по понедельникам" (po ponedelnikam) - on Mondays
• "по средам" (po sredam) - on Wednesdays
• "по воскресеньям" (po voskreseniyam) - on Sundays

Common Phrases with Days

• "Какой сегодня день?" (Kakoy segodnya den'?) - "What day is today?"
• "Сегодня вторник." (Segodnya vtornik.) - "Today is Tuesday."
• "Завтра будет среда." (Zavtra budet sreda.) - "Tomorrow will be Wednesday."
• "Вчера было воскресенье." (Vchera bylo voskresenye.) - "Yesterday was Sunday."
• "в понедельник утром" (v ponedelnik utrom) - "on Monday morning"
• "в четверг днём" (v chetverg dnyom) - "on Thursday afternoon"
• "в субботу вечером" (v subbotu vecherom) - "on Saturday evening"

Traditional Beliefs and Associations

In Russian folk tradition, certain days of the week carried special significance:

• понедельник (Monday): Traditionally considered a heavy or difficult day, similar to the concept of "Monday blues" in English-speaking cultures.
• среда (Wednesday) and пятница (Friday): In Russian Orthodox tradition, these were traditional fasting days.
• пятница (Friday): Had special significance in pre-Christian Slavic culture, being associated with Mokosh, a fertility goddess.
• воскресенье (Sunday): The most important day in the Orthodox Christian tradition, a day for church attendance and family gathering.

Modern Russian Week Structure

The standard Russian work week runs from Monday through Friday, with Saturday and Sunday forming the weekend. This structure became standardized during the Soviet era and continues in modern Russia:

• The work week is typically 40 hours, with 8-hour workdays Monday through Friday.
• Many Russians refer to Friday as "маленькая суббота" (malenkaya subbota, "little Saturday"), similar to the Western concept of "TGIF" (Thank God It's Friday).
• Many Russian businesses and government offices operate on a Monday-Friday schedule, though retail stores and entertainment venues are typically open on weekends as well.

Cultural Expressions

Several Russian expressions and proverbs reference days of the week:

• "После дождичка в четверг" (Posle dozhdichka v chetverg) - "After rain on Thursday," an expression similar to "when pigs fly," indicating something unlikely to happen.
• "Семь пятниц на неделе" (Sem' pyatnits na nedele) - "Seven Fridays in a week," used to describe someone who frequently changes their mind.
• "Понедельник – день тяжёлый" (Ponedelnik – den' tyazholyy) - "Monday is a heavy day," expressing the difficulty of starting the work week.

Number Connections

Connect the middle days of the week with their numerical roots:

• вторник (vtornik) - From "второй" (vtoroy, "second")
• среда (sreda) - Think of "middle" (the middle of the workweek)
• четверг (chetverg) - From "четыре" (chetyre, "four")
• пятница (pyatnitsa) - From "пять" (pyat', "five")

Visual Mnemonics

For the more challenging days, create visual associations:

• понедельник (ponedelnik) - Picture someone sad after (по, po) their day off (неделя, nedelya), capturing the "Monday blues" and the literal meaning "after the no-work day."
• суббота (subbota) - Connect it with the English word "Sabbath," which shares the same root.
• воскресенье (voskresenye) - Visualize sunrise (resurrection of the sun) to connect with its meaning of "resurrection."

Sound Patterns

Russian weekday names have distinct patterns that can help with memorization:

• The weekday names have different numbers of syllables (4-2-2-2-3-3-4), creating a rhythm.
• The middle days (Tuesday through Friday) are shorter and more closely related to numbers.
• Monday and Sunday are the longest words bookending the week.