Below is a list of common Russian adverbs that show when an action happens or how events are connected in time.

• давно ‘a long time ago / for a long time’

Used for events that happened far in the past or have continued for a long time.

1. А: Вы были в России?
В: Да, очень давно.

A: Have you been to Russia?
B: Yes, a long time ago.

2. Мы давно не виделись. 
We haven’t seen each other for a long time.

• недавно ‘recently’

Used for actions that happened not long ago.

Она недавно приехала. 
She recently arrived.

• раньше ‘before’

Used to compare two time periods. Often contrasts past and present. 

1. Раньше я занимался танцами.
I used to practice dancing.

2. Раньше я жил в Португалии, а сейчас – в Бразилии.
I used to live in Portugal and, now, I live in Brazil.

• сейчас ‘now (right now)’

Used for something happening at the present moment. 

Я сейчас занят. 
I am busy right now.

• теперь ‘now (after a change) / from now on’

Shows a new situation that is different from before.

1. Раньше он работал дома, а теперь работает в офисе. 
He used to work at home and, now, he works in an office.

2. Мне нравится этот магазин! Теперь я буду покупать продукты только здесь.
I like this store! From now on, I’ll only buy food here.

• скоро ‘soon’

Used to describe actions that will happen in the near future. 

Мы скоро начнём. 
We will start soon.

• сначала ‘first / at first’

Marks the beginning of a sequence. 

Сначала мы поужинали, а потом смотрели сериал. 
First, we had dinner and then we watched a TV show.

• потом ‘then / after that’

Shows the next step in the sequence. 

Мы пообедали, а потом пошли гулять. 
We had lunch and then went for a walk.

• тогда ‘then / at that time’

Used for a specific moment in the past or future that is already known in context.

Я был в Москве в 2019 году. Тогда я ещё не знал русский язык.
I was in Moscow in 2019. At that time, I didn’t know any Russian yet.

• в это время ‘at this time / at that moment / meanwhile’

Used when two actions happen at the same time. 

Жена готовила ужин, а я в это время делал уборку.
My wife was cooking dinner, while I was cleaning up.

• однажды ‘once’, ‘one time’

Used when the action happened at some indefinite point in the past, without specifying when exactly. 

Однажды я был на концерте этой группы. Мне очень понравилось.
One time, I went to this band’s concert. I liked it very much.

To help you remember these adverbs more easily, we suggest grouping them by meaning:

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