Breakdown of Каждый будний день я работаю несколько часов, потом читаю книгу.
я
I
книга
the book
читать
to read
каждый
every
работать
to work
час
the hour
потом
then
будний день
the weekday
несколько
a few
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Questions & Answers about Каждый будний день я работаю несколько часов, потом читаю книгу.
What does Каждый будний день mean and how is it different from каждый день?
Каждый будний день means every working day or every weekday (Monday through Friday). Каждый день means every day (including weekends).
What case does часов take after несколько, and why?
After несколько you always use the genitive plural. That's why часы (nom. pl.) becomes часов (gen. pl.) here.
What part of speech is несколько and what does it express?
Несколько is an indefinite numeral (indefinite pronumeral). It conveys an approximate, small quantity—several or a few. It always requires the following noun in genitive plural.
Why is the pronoun я used in the first clause but omitted in the second (потом читаю книгу)?
In Russian, subject pronouns like я are optional when the verb ending already shows person and number. Since читаю is 1st person singular, я is clear and can be dropped. You could say я потом читаю книгу, but in casual speech the shorter version is more natural.
Why is there a comma between the two clauses without a conjunction?
Russian allows two short clauses with the same subject and related actions to be linked simply by a comma (asyndetic coordination). It creates a smooth, concise flow. You could also add и or а before потом (e.g., , и потом читаю книгу).
What is the function of потом and how does it connect the actions?
Потом is an adverb meaning then or afterwards. It signals the sequence of events: first working, then reading. You could also use затем (more formal) or после этого for variety.
Which aspect are the verbs работаю and читаю, and why is this aspect used?
Both verbs are imperfective (несовершенный вид) in the present tense. The imperfective aspect describes habitual or repeated actions or ongoing processes. Here it expresses routine activities: I work and I read regularly.
Why is книгу in the accusative case?
Читать is a transitive verb, so its direct object (книга) takes the accusative case (книгу). That's how you say to read a book in Russian.
Could I say я работаю по несколько часов instead of работаю несколько часов?
Yes. По несколько часов means for a few hours at a time and emphasizes the duration of each work session. Я работаю несколько часов is more neutral: I work several hours (in total or generally). Both are correct but slightly different in nuance.