“am” and “pm” in Russian

In Russian, the terms for “am” and “pm” are a bit different than in English. Instead of using abbreviations, Russians typically refer to the time of day using the words утро (morning), день (afternoon), вечер (evening), and ночь (night).

To express the time, you simply say the time in the twelve-hour format and add a noun that means the part of the day in the genitive case.

For example:

• У меня поезд в 2 часа дня. = I have a train at 2 pm.
• Он начинает работать в 7 часов вечера. = He starts working at 7 pm.
• Сегодня я встала в 6 часов утра. = Today I got up at 6 am.
• Мне позвонили в дверь в час ночи. = My doorbell rang at 1 am.

There isn’t a strict rule that specifies when the day ends and the evening begins, or what time the morning starts. The transition is usually around four or five o’clock. Night officially begins at midnight, and day starts at noon.

Keep in mind that Russians often use the 24-hour clock system (military time), so if you want to be more precise, you can use this format in conversation or writing, especially in formal situations.