"Day and night — another twenty-four hours gone". Some set expressions are like that - they aren't particularly profound, yet they are somehow delightful. A simple truth captured in a saying with rhythm and rhyme. You can say it at the end of the day reflecting on another су́тки of your life. Cу́тки is an interesting Russian word, too — it refers to a full twenty-four-hour period — a day and a night taken together as a single unit of time.
Since you're here, dear reader, chances are you're already familiar with at least some Russian words for different parts of the day: у́тро (morning), по́лдень (midday), день (day), ве́чер (evening), ночь (night), and по́лночь (midnight). You've probably also heard that Russian often creates new nouns by adding suffixes. One of the most common is -ник-. One such noun — спу́тник — has even made its way into English. Now, would you like a little riddle? Try adding -ник- to the Russian words related to the day and night and see if you can guess what the new words mean. I promise at least a few of them will surprise you. Even though they all share the same suffix, their meanings are as different as night and day.
Ready to check your guesses? Пожа́луйста!
У́тренник — a children's performance or celebration held in the morning, usually at a kindergarten or elementary school.
По́лдник — a light meal eaten in the afternoon, especially by children.
Дневни́к — A diary or journal; in schools, a student's grade book or homework record.
Вече́рник — a student enrolled in an evening program, where classes are held in the late afternoon or evening.
Полуно́чник — a night owl; someone who stays up late.
Ночни́к — a night light or a bedside lamp.
And that's the fun of Russian word-building. Once you start noticing familiar pieces like -ник-, you begin to see connections everywhere. Sometimes they help you guess a word's meaning, and sometimes they lead you completely astray — in the most interesting way. Either way, every new word becomes a little mystery waiting to be solved.
And now, день и ночь — сутки прочь. Until next time!