Days & Months in Russian
Russian days of the week tell a story -- most are simply numbered from the start of the week, while months follow a Slavic tradition with nature-inspired names. The challenge is that Russian grammar requires these words to change form depending on the preposition. "On Monday" uses one case, "in January" uses another. This guide covers all the vocabulary and the essential case changes.
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Days of the Week
Russian day names are mostly based on their position in the week, with the week traditionally starting on Monday. The names are lowercase and reveal their numbering when you look closely.
The numbering is hidden in the names: вторник comes from второй (second), среда means "middle," четверг comes from четвертый (fourth), пятница comes from пять (five). воскресенье means "resurrection" (Sunday).
"On" a Day: Prepositions and Cases
To say "on Monday," "on Tuesday," etc., Russian uses в (v) + the accusative case. Most days do not change form in accusative, but среда and суббота do because they are feminine.
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Months of the Year
Russian months are lowercase and masculine (except for a few that are debated). Many come from Latin roots, while some have Slavic origins.
"In" a Month: Prepositional Case
To say "in January," "in March," etc., use в (v) + the prepositional case. Most months add -е to form the prepositional case:
When a date number precedes a month, the month goes into the genitive case: 5 марта (5 marta, March 5th). But "in March" (without a date number) uses prepositional: в марте (v marte). This distinction trips up many learners.
Useful Date Expressions
- Какой сегодня день? (Kakoy segodnya den'?) -- What day is it today?
- Сегодня понедельник. (Segodnya ponedel'nik.) -- Today is Monday.
- Какое сегодня число? (Kakoye segodnya chislo?) -- What is today's date?
- Мой день рождения в июле. (Moy den' rozhdeniya v iyule.) -- My birthday is in July.
- До пятницы! (Do pyatnitsy!) -- See you Friday!
Frequently Asked Questions
Are days and months capitalized in Russian?
No. Russian does not capitalize days of the week or months: понедельник, январь. Like French and Spanish, they are treated as common nouns. The only exception is at the beginning of a sentence.
Why do months change form in Russian?
Russian months are nouns and must decline by case like all Russian nouns. "In January" requires the prepositional case: в январе (v yanvare). "Since January" uses genitive: с января (s yanvarya). This is standard Russian grammar applied to time words.
What preposition do I use with days of the week?
Use в (v) + accusative case for days: в понедельник (on Monday), в среду (on Wednesday). Note that the accusative of среда changes to среду because it is feminine.
How do I write dates in Russian?
Russian dates use day.month.year: 5.03.2026 or written out: 5 марта 2026 года (5 marta 2026 goda). The month goes into the genitive case when following a date number.
What is the origin of Russian day names?
Russian day names are descriptive: понедельник (Monday) means "after doing nothing" (after Sunday rest), вторник (Tuesday) means "second day," среда (Wednesday) means "middle," четверг (Thursday) means "fourth," пятница (Friday) means "fifth."