Днём я обычно работаю дома.

During the day I usually work at home.

Breakdown of Днём я обычно работаю дома.

• я: I
• дома: at home
• работать: to work
• обычно: usually
• днём: in the daytime

Questions & Answers about Днём я обычно работаю дома.

Why is it Днём and not день at the beginning?

Днём is the instrumental case of день (“day”) used with a time meaning: “in/at the daytime.”
Russian often uses the instrumental to talk about parts of the day: утром (in the morning), днём (in the daytime), вечером (in the evening), ночью (at night).
So Днём я обычно работаю дома is literally “By-day I usually work at home,” which corresponds to English “During the day I usually work at home.”

What case is днём, and when do I use this form?

Днём is instrumental singular of день.
With time expressions, the instrumental can answer “when?” for broad periods: утром, днём, вечером, ночью.
You use this form when you mean “in the morning / during the day / in the evening / at night” in a general, habitual sense, without a specific clock time.

Why is there no preposition before днём? Why not в днём or something similar?

Here днём is already an adverb-like form; it doesn’t need a preposition.
В днём is ungrammatical.
If you want a more explicit phrase with a preposition, you’d normally switch to a different structure, for example: в течение дня (“during the day”), днём, в рабочее время (“during the day, in working hours”), etc.

Can I move обычно to another place in the sentence?

Yes. Common options include:

• Я обычно работаю дома днём.
• Обычно я днём работаю дома.
• Я днём обычно работаю дома.

All are grammatical; the main difference is emphasis and rhythm. Putting обычно at the start (Обычно я…) strongly highlights the “usually/habitually” part.

Is it possible to leave out я and just say Днём обычно работаю дома?

Yes, that is possible in context. The verb ending -ю in работаю already shows the subject is “I”.
However, in neutral, standalone sentences (like in a textbook example), я is usually kept because it’s clearer, especially for learners.
In natural conversation, once the subject is obvious, Russians often drop я.

Why is it работаю and not работать or another form?

Работать is the infinitive “to work.”
In the sentence we need “I work,” present tense, 1st person singular: я работаю.
So работаю is the correctly conjugated form for “I (usually) work.”

Why is it дома and not дом or в доме?

Дома is an adverb meaning “at home.”

• дома = at home (location, where you are based)
• дом = house/home as a noun (“a house,” “my home”)
• в доме = in the house (inside the building)

In this sentence we talk about the place where the person usually works (their home as a base), so дома is the natural choice.

What is the difference between дома and домой?

• дома = “at home” (static location; answers где? – “where?”)
• домой = “(to) home” (direction; answers куда? – “where to?”)

Examples:

• Я работаю дома. – I work at home.
• Я иду домой. – I am going home.

Could I say Я обычно работаю дома днём instead? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, Я обычно работаю дома днём is also correct and means essentially the same thing.
Russian word order is flexible; both Днём я обычно… and Я обычно … днём are fine.
Starting with Днём slightly emphasizes the time (“As for during the day, I usually work at home”), while starting with Я sounds more neutral from an English point of view.

Why is the present tense работаю used when English also has “I’m usually working…” or “I usually work”?

Russian present tense covers both English “I work” (habitual) and “I am working” (right now); the language doesn’t make this grammatical distinction.
Here, the adverb обычно (“usually”) shows that this is a regular, habitual action, so я обычно работаю maps well onto English “I usually work.”

Do I need обычно to talk about a routine, or can the present tense alone show that?

The present tense alone can describe routines: Днём я работаю дома can also mean “During the day I work at home” as a general fact.
Adding обычно makes the habitual, non-absolute nature explicit – it suggests “most days” or “as a rule,” but not necessarily always.
So обычно adds nuance: it marks the action as typical but not obligatory.

How is днём pronounced, and why is there ё instead of е?

Днём is pronounced approximately like [dnyom]: a дн cluster plus a “nyo” sound.
The letter ё is always stressed and pronounced [yo], unlike е, which can be [ye] or reduced.
In everyday writing, Russians often write днем instead of днём, but it is still pronounced [dnyom]; the form with ё is clearer for learners.