У меня сменный график, поэтому в воскресенье я работаю, а в понедельник отдыхаю.

Yes, literally у меня means something like by me / at me, but in Russian this is a very common way to express possession.

So:

• У меня сменный график = I have a shift schedule
• literally: At me, [there is] a shift schedule

Russian often uses this pattern instead of a verb like to have.

Compare:

• У меня есть машина = I have a car
• У него работа = He has a job
• У нас выходной = We have a day off

So У меня сменный график is the natural Russian way to say I have a rotating/shift work schedule.

Сменный график means a shift schedule, shift work schedule, or rotating schedule.

Breakdown:

• сменный = shift-based, rotating, from смена (shift)
• график = schedule, timetable

Together, сменный график describes a work schedule that is not the standard Monday-to-Friday pattern. For example, someone may work some weekends and have weekdays off.

Поэтому means therefore, so, or that’s why.

It connects the first idea to the result:

• У меня сменный график = I have a shift schedule
• поэтому = therefore / so
• в воскресенье я работаю, а в понедельник отдыхаю = on Sunday I work, and on Monday I rest

So the logic is:

I have a shift schedule, so I work on Sunday and rest on Monday.

In everyday English, so is usually the most natural translation, even though therefore is closer in style.

Because the sentence has two clauses:

1. У меня сменный график
2. поэтому в воскресенье я работаю, а в понедельник отдыхаю

In Russian, when поэтому connects clauses like therefore/so, it is typically preceded by a comma.

So:

• У меня сменный график, поэтому...

This comma is normal and expected in standard written Russian.

They are used with в in the meaning on a particular day, and this normally takes the accusative case.

• в воскресенье = on Sunday
• в понедельник = on Monday

Why do the forms look like the dictionary forms?

• воскресенье is a neuter noun, and its nominative and accusative singular are the same.
• понедельник is an inanimate masculine noun, and its nominative and accusative singular are also the same.

So even though the case is accusative, the form does not visibly change here.

Compare another example:

• в среду = on Wednesday

Here you can actually see the accusative ending.

For a specific day, Russian commonly uses в + accusative:

• в понедельник = on Monday
• в воскресенье = on Sunday
• в субботу = on Saturday

This is the normal way to say on a day.

But if you mean something repeated or habitual, Russian often uses a different pattern:

• по воскресеньям = on Sundays / every Sunday
• по понедельникам = on Mondays / every Monday

So:

• в воскресенье = on Sunday, this Sunday, on a Sunday in a specific situation
• по воскресеньям = on Sundays regularly

In this sentence, the speaker is talking about their work pattern in a concrete way, so в воскресенье and в понедельник are natural.

А often marks a contrast or comparison, while но usually means a stronger but.

Here we have:

• в воскресенье я работаю, а в понедельник отдыхаю

This is a contrast between two days:

• on Sunday — I work
• on Monday — I rest

So а is very natural because it sets one situation against another.

If you used но, it would sound more like a contradiction or unexpected opposition. That is not really the point here. The point is simply contrast.

Very roughly:

• а = whereas / while / and on the other hand
• но = but

Because Russian uses the present tense for habitual actions, regular schedules, and general routines.

So:

• я работаю = I work / I am working
• я отдыхаю = I rest / I am resting

In this sentence, the speaker is describing their usual schedule, not necessarily only what is happening right now at this exact moment.

That is why present tense is correct:

• в воскресенье я работаю = on Sunday I work
• в понедельник отдыхаю = on Monday I rest

This is similar to English using the present simple for routines:

• On Sundays I work, and on Mondays I rest.

Both are imperfective verbs:

• работать = to work
• отдыхать = to rest, relax, have time off

The imperfective is used because the sentence describes:

• repeated or habitual actions
• a general schedule
• not a single completed event

If Russian wanted to emphasize a one-time completed action, a perfective verb might be used in another context. But here the speaker is talking about their routine, so imperfective is exactly what you would expect.

Often yes, because Russian verb endings already show the person:

• работаю = I work
• отдыхаю = I rest

So Russian often drops я when it is clear from the context.

For example, this would also sound natural:

• У меня сменный график, поэтому в воскресенье работаю, а в понедельник отдыхаю.

In the original sentence, repeating я is not wrong at all. It can make the sentence a little clearer or more balanced, especially in a learner-friendly or careful style.

Russian word order is flexible, though not random. The original sentence is very natural:

• У меня сменный график, поэтому в воскресенье я работаю, а в понедельник отдыхаю.

But other versions are possible, for example:

• Поэтому я в воскресенье работаю, а в понедельник отдыхаю.
• В воскресенье я работаю, а в понедельник отдыхаю, потому что у меня сменный график.

Changing the word order usually changes emphasis, not the core meaning.

The original version sounds smooth and neutral:

1. first give the reason
2. then give the schedule

Отдыхаю literally means I rest or I relax, but in Russian it is also commonly used to mean I’m off work or I have time off.

So in this context:

• в понедельник отдыхаю = I’m off on Monday / I rest on Monday

It sounds natural because the contrast is with работаю (I work).

Russian could also use other expressions in different contexts, such as:

• у меня выходной = I have a day off
• в понедельник у меня выходной = I have Monday off

But отдыхаю works very well here because it pairs neatly with работаю.

By itself, в воскресенье usually means on Sunday in a specific situation, but context matters.

In this sentence, because the speaker is describing their work pattern, English might naturally translate it either as:

• On Sunday I work, and on Monday I rest
• or I work Sundays and rest Mondays

Russian often leaves this slightly open when the context already explains the situation.

If the speaker wanted to make the repeated meaning more explicit, they could say:

• по воскресеньям я работаю, а по понедельникам отдыхаю

That would clearly mean I work on Sundays and rest on Mondays as a regular pattern.