Signification
Asking about the current day of the week.
Contexte culturel
The Russian week starts on Monday. This is important for calendars and scheduling. If someone says 'next week', they strictly mean starting from the next Monday. Wednesday and Friday were traditionally fasting days in the Russian Orthodox Church, which influenced the cultural perception of these days as 'sober' or 'serious'. The term 'Пятница' (Friday) is often associated with 'after-work drinks'. There is a popular meme culture around 'surviving until Friday'. The concept of 'Subbotnik' (voluntary Saturday work) still exists in some forms, where people gather to clean their neighborhoods on a Saturday.
The 'V' Sound
Always remember that 'сегодня' is pronounced with a 'v' sound, not a 'g' sound. Saying 'se-go-dnya' is a major giveaway that you are a beginner.
Day vs. Date
If you ask a Russian 'Какой сегодня день?' and they say 'Monday', don't be annoyed if you wanted the date. You must use 'число' for the date.
Signification
Asking about the current day of the week.
The 'V' Sound
Always remember that 'сегодня' is pronounced with a 'v' sound, not a 'g' sound. Saying 'se-go-dnya' is a major giveaway that you are a beginner.
Day vs. Date
If you ask a Russian 'Какой сегодня день?' and they say 'Monday', don't be annoyed if you wanted the date. You must use 'число' for the date.
Intonation Matters
Raise your pitch on the word 'Какой' to make it sound like a natural question.
Monday Blues
If the answer is 'Понедельник', it's common to follow up with a sigh or a joke about it being a hard day.
Teste-toi
Choose the correct word to complete the question.
______ сегодня день?
'Какой' is the masculine form that agrees with 'день'.
Fill in the missing word for 'today'.
Какой _______ день?
'Сегодня' means today.
Complete the dialogue.
— Какой сегодня день? — Сегодня ________.
The question asks for the day of the week, so 'Monday' is the only logical answer.
Match the Russian phrase to its English meaning.
1. Какой сегодня день? 2. Какое сегодня число? 3. Какой вчера был день?
Distinguishing between day, date, and past tense is key.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Days of the Week in Russian
Work Days
- • Понедельник
- • Вторник
- • Среда
- • Четверг
- • Пятница
Weekend
- • Суббота
- • Воскресенье
Day vs. Date
Banque d exercices
4 exercices______ сегодня день?
'Какой' is the masculine form that agrees with 'день'.
Какой _______ день?
'Сегодня' means today.
— Какой сегодня день? — Сегодня ________.
The question asks for the day of the week, so 'Monday' is the only logical answer.
Associez chaque element a gauche avec son pair a droite :
Distinguishing between day, date, and past tense is key.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
12 questionsYes, in casual conversation if it's obvious you're talking about today, you can shorten it.
Russian doesn't use the verb 'to be' in the present tense for simple identification sentences.
Simply say 'Сегодня...' followed by the day: 'Сегодня суббота' (Today is Saturday).
It is always 'Какой' because 'день' is a masculine noun.
Say 'Какой завтра будет день?'
Yes, it is neutral. To be extra polite, add 'Скажите, пожалуйста'.
It's an old genitive ending that became frozen in time as part of the adverb.
Yes, but 'Что сегодня за праздник?' is more common for holidays.
No, days of the week and the word 'день' are not capitalized in Russian unless they start a sentence.
'День' is the daylight period or the calendar day; 'сутки' is a 24-hour period.
Use 'Ну и день!' or 'Какой день!' with an exclamation mark.
No, it can be in the middle: 'Какой сегодня день?' or at the start: 'Сегодня какой день?'.
Expressions liées
Какое сегодня число?
similarWhat is the date today?
Какой сегодня день недели?
specialized formWhat day of the week is it?
Что сегодня за день?
similarWhat kind of day is it?
Который час?
builds onWhat time is it?
В какой день?
specialized formOn which day?
