Russian Vocabulary: Time
Below is an alphabetical list of time-related terms found in Russian records. Each word is generally listed first in its modern form, followed by relevant variants, including some with archaic spelling. If the word you are looking for is not found here, consider looking at our other word lists or the FamilySearch Wiki Russian Genealogical Word List. If you're still struggling to find the right word, it may be a person's or place name. Follow the guidelines listed under Practical Suggestions and use other resources on our site such as those found on the Names page.
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Abbreviation | Meaning | Abbreviation | Meaning |
| nom. | nominative case | masc. | masculine |
| acc. | accusative case | fem. | feminine |
| gen. | genitive case | neut. | neuter |
| prep. | prepositional case | plu. | plural |
| dat. | dative case | past | past |
| instr. | instrumental case | pres. | present |
| arch. | archaic | s.f. | short form (for adjectives) |
Russian | English | Examples |
| вечер (gen. вечера, instr. вечеромъ) | evening | 
(instr. вечеромъ) |
| возраст | age | 
(gen. возраста) |
| временный | temporary | 
(fem. prep. временной) |
| время | time | 
|
| вчера | yesterday | 
|
| вчерашний | yesterday (adj.) | 
|
| год (arch. годъ, gen. года, gen. plu. лет, лѣтъ) | year | 
(gen. года) 
(gen. plu. лѣтъ) |
| день | day | 
(gen. дня) |
| месяц | month | 
(arch. gen. мѣсяца) |
| ныне | now | 
(arch. нынѣ) |
| ночь (gen. ночи instr. ночью) | night (at night) | 
|
| от роду | from birth | 
(arch. отъ роду) |
| arch. пополудни | afternoon | 
|
| arch. пополуночи | after midnight | 
|
| сегодня | today | 
|
| сегодняшний | today (adj.) | 
|
| утро (gen. утра instr. утром) | morning | 
(gen. утра) |
| час (gen. часа gen. plu. часов) | hour (can mean "o'clock" when in the genitive case) | 
(gen. часа) 
одинадцать часовъ - 11 o'clock |
| число | date, number | 
(gen. числа) |
To view translations of specific words and phrases you may encounter in a certain document type, visit the corresponding Document Types page of this tutorial.
- Ivan Shishkin, Morning in a Pine Forest, 1886, Oil on canvas. Wikimedia Commons.(https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Utro_v_sosnovom_lesu.jpg : accessed 27 August 2024). This image is in the public domain.