Questions & Answers about В течение дня я читаю газету.
What does в течение дня literally mean in Russian?
Literally, в течение means “in the course (or flow)” and дня is the genitive of “day.” Together в течение дня literally reads “in the course of the day,” i.e. “during the day.”
Why is дня in the genitive case?
The preposition в течение always requires the genitive case for the noun that follows. That’s why день changes to дня.
Could I just say днём instead of в течение дня?
Yes. днём is an adverbial form meaning “in the daytime” or “during the day.” It’s shorter and more colloquial. в течение дня is slightly more formal or emphasizes the duration.
Why is газету used instead of газета?
газету is the accusative singular form of the feminine noun газета (“newspaper”). It’s required because it’s the direct object of the verb читаю (“I read”).
Why doesn’t Russian use articles like “a” or “the” in this sentence?
Russian has no articles. Context alone tells you if it’s “a newspaper” or “the newspaper.” Here it could mean either, depending on what you know about the situation.