Russian Vocabulary (and Wisdom)

How to say "time" in Russian

This Russian word is one of the top 1000 words in Russian. The complete list of most common Russian words is available here.

время

Meaning: time, season, age, times, tense

Pronunciation: [VRYEH-myah]

Part of speech: noun

Rank: #56 (see frequency list)

Wooden hourglass symbolizing time.
Photo by S Sepp, licensed under CC-SA3.0

Example sentences:

Ско́лько вре́мени?
What is the time?
literal How much time?
Моско́вское вре́мя 7 часо́в 20 мину́т утра́.
Moscow time is 20 minutes past 7 AM.
Мой дру́г мно́го вре́мени прово́дит на рабо́те.
My friend spends a lot of time at work.
У меня́ бу́дет вре́мя на выходны́х.
I'll have time this weekend.
Бы́ло вре́мя когда́ лю́ди ду́мали, что земля́ пло́ская.
There was a time when people thought that the Earth was flat.
Утро -- лу́чшее вре́мя су́ток.
Morning is the best time of the day.
Мой кот спит всё вре́мя.
My cat sleeps all the time.
В свобо́дное вре́мя я люблю́ чита́ть.
I like to read in my spare time.
Ле́то -- моё люби́мое вре́мя го́да.
Summer is my favourite season.
literal Summer -- my favorite time of the year.

Idioms and set expressions:

в последнее время = lately, recently
literal in recent time
время от времени = from time to time
одно время = at one time
в то время как = while
literal at the time when
в настоящее время = at present, today
literal at present time
во время = during
в своё время = in its/my/his time; in good time
на первое время = for a start
literal for first time
в первое время = at first
самое время = it's high time; season
literal the very time
со временем = in due course; as the time passes
literal with time
тем временем = meanwhile
literal [with] that time
раньше времени = prematurely; too soon
literal ahead of time
время года = season
literal time of the year
проводить время без дела = to waste time, not to do a day's work
literal to spend time without business
с незапамятных времен = from time beyond all memory
убивать время = to kill time; to while away one's time

Proverbs and sayings:

Аппетит приходит во время еды.
Appetite comes during a meal.
Время дороже золота.
Time is money.
literal Time is more expensive than gold.
Время -- лучший лекарь.
Time is great healer.
literal Time is the best doctor.
Времена меняются.
Times change.
Время не щадит ничего.
Time will crumble to dust everything.
Время терпит.
We can take our time.
Всему своё время.
All in good time.
Всякому овощу своё время.
Every vegetable knows its time.
Придёт время, прорастёт и семя.
There will come a time when the seed will sprout.
Делу время, потехе час.
There's a time for work and a time for play.
literal Time for business, hour for play.
Потерянного времени не вернешь.
Lost time is never found again.

Other forms of the word (declensions):

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	вре́мя	времена́
Genitive	вре́мени	времён
Dative	вре́мени	времена́м
Accusative	вре́мя	времена́
Instrumental	вре́менем	времена́ми
Prepositional	вре́мени	времена́х

Phrase recordings: Copyright(c) 2011 MasterRussian.com. All rights reserved.
Word recordings: Copyright(c) 2006 Streit Goulnara, Streit Eric, Vion Nicolas. Copyright(c) 2007 S. Sakhno, N. Vion. Distributed under CC-BY.

Got questions?

Ask them in the Russian Questions and Answers — a place for students, teachers and native Russian speakers to discuss Russian grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and other aspects of the Russian language.