To state a full, specific date (day, month, and year), put every part of the date into the Genitive case.
The Day and the Month
State the day using an ordinal number (first, second, etc.) in the neuter Genitive, which agrees with the implied neuter noun число (date/number). Follow this directly with the month in the Genitive case.
- пятое мая (the fifth of May) becomes пятого мая (on the fifth of May)
Adding the Year
The year uses a masculine Genitive ordinal number (agreeing with the implied word год, meaning year), followed by the word года (of the year).
When dealing with compound years (like 1991 or 2003), Russian follows a rule similar to English: only the very last word is an ordinal number and changes its ending. The preceding numbers remain standard cardinal numbers.
| The wedding anniversary of my parents was on the second of September nineteen ninety-one. | Годовщина свадьбы моих родителей была второго сентября тысяча девятьсот девяносто первого года. |
| We finished this project on the third of April two thousand three. | Мы закончили этот проект третьего апреля две тысячи третьего года. |
The Year 2000 Exception
Unlike other compound years, the exact year 2000 is written as a single, combined ordinal word.
| two thousandth | двухтысячный |
When stating that something happened on a date in this exact year, the entire word takes the Genitive ending (двухтысячного).
| On the second of February two thousand, I was ten years old. | Второго февраля двухтысячного года мне было десять лет. |
Milestones and Anniversaries
Using this comprehensive formal date structure is essential for official events, historical facts, and marking major life milestones.
| We are celebrating the anniversary on the tenth of August two thousand twenty. | Мы празднуем годовщину десятого августа две тысячи двадцатого года. |
| We celebrate the founding of the city every year, but the first holiday was on the twelfth of June two thousand twenty. | Мы празднуем основание города каждый год, но первый праздник был двенадцатого июня две тысячи двадцатого года. |
You can combine full dates with time-related prepositions like накануне (on the eve of). This preposition also requires the Genitive case for the event that immediately follows it.
| On the eve of grandfather's jubilee, the fourth of April nineteen ninety-one, we arrived in the city. | Накануне юбилея дедушки, четвёртого апреля тысяча девятьсот девяносто первого года, мы приехали в город. |
