Seven days, no gods, no planets - Russian names come from Slavic number roots. Once you see the pattern, they're surprisingly easy to remember.
To say "on Monday" in Russian, you use в + accusative case: в понедельник. For masculine days (most of them), the accusative looks identical to the nominative. But for среда (Wednesday, feminine), it changes: в среду - not "в среда." This в + accusative pattern covers all "on [day]" expressions in Russian.
| Russian | Pronunciation | English | Literal meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| понедельник | ponedel'nik | Monday | "after nothing" (по + неделя, where неделя once meant "do-nothing day" = Sunday) |
| вторник | vtornik | Tuesday | "second" (второй = second) |
| среда | sreda | Wednesday | "middle" (середина = middle). The only feminine day. |
| четверг | chetverg | Thursday | "fourth" (четвёртый = fourth) |
| пятница | pyatnitsa | Friday | "fifth" (пятый = fifth). Feminine noun. |
| суббота | subbota | Saturday | From Hebrew "Shabbat." Feminine noun. |
| воскресенье | voskresen'ye | Sunday | "resurrection" (Воскресение Христово). Neuter noun. |
When you want to say "on Monday," "on Tuesday," etc., you use в + the accusative case. For the masculine days, this looks identical to the dictionary form. For the feminine and neuter days, the ending changes.
| English | Russian | Pronunciation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| on Monday | в понедельник | v ponedel'nik | masc. - no change |
| on Tuesday | в вторник | v vtornik | masc. - no change |
| on Wednesday | в среду | v sredu | fem. - среда → среду |
| on Thursday | в четверг | v chetverg | masc. - no change |
| on Friday | в пятницу | v pyatnitsu | fem. - пятница → пятницу |
| on Saturday | в субботу | v subbotu | fem. - суббота → субботу |
| on Sunday | в воскресенье | v voskresen'ye | neut. - no change |
The week starts on Monday. Russian calendars, planners, and schedules all begin the week on Monday. The day names confirm it - вторник (Tuesday) literally means "second," which only makes sense if Monday is first.
No capitals. Unlike English, days of the week are never capitalized in Russian (unless they start a sentence). Writing Понедельник in the middle of a sentence looks odd.
Пятница (Friday) has a cultural weight. The expression "семь пятниц на неделе" (seven Fridays in one week) describes someone who changes their mind constantly. Friday was historically market day, and promises made at market were supposed to be kept by next Friday.
Slova teaches days of the week with the case forms you'll actually need - в среду, по пятницам - not just a list.
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