When compared to other languages, the Italian language is so melodic that many of us will probably have had the dream to learn it at some point in our lives. If you're one of the brave ones that have decided to stick with it, congratulations! Well, first things first, let's start at the top!
From arranging a catch-up coffee date with an Italian friend to being able to refer to what you did last week, learning the days of the week in Italian will definitely prove useful. Hopefully, one day you'll even be able to use Italian as a working language and set up a business meeting. How cool would that be?
In order to help you achieve your goals, Lingopie has created this free guide. Below you'll find everything you need to learn the Italian days of the week.
Italian Days of the Week
So, let's learn how to say the days of the week - giorni della settimana - in Italian!
In the list below, you'll find the English and Italian words for each day of the week. We will then show you the phonetic pronunciation for each of them. This way you'll know how to pronounce the words, by reading them phonetically in English.
- Monday = lunedì
- Tuesday = martedì
- Wednesday = mercoledì
- Thursday = giovedì
- Friday = venerdì
- Saturday = sabato
- Sunday = domenica
As is the case for all Italian words, the accent indicates that the stress falls on that syllable, i.e. that's the syllable that you place more emphasis on when saying the word.
How to Pronounce the Days of the Week in Italian
The stressed syllable is the one in italics.
- (loo-neh-dee)
- (mahr-teh-dee)
- (mehr-koh-leh-dee)
- (joh-veh-dee)
- (veh-nehr-dee)
- (sah-bah-toh)
- (doh-meh-nee-kah)
Italian is a highly phonetic language, which means that you will find correspondence between the way a word is spelled and the way it is pronounced.
Straightforward so far? Give it a try!
The Weekend in Italian
Now for our favorite days of the week! E ora i nostri giorni della settimana preferiti!
- Il fine settimana = the weekend
Curiously though, there is another way to say 'weekend' in Italian:
- Il weekend = the weekend
Easy, right? You're starting to get the hang of it.
Italian Days of the Week in Context
Context is one of the most significant aspects of learning new languages. Not only do you need to know how to say the day of the week, you also need to know how to use them in context.
Here are some phrases to illustrate how to place the days of the week in Italian in a sentence:
- Odio il lunedì = I hate Mondays.
- Siamo chiusi il giovedì = We are closed on Thursdays.
- Che giorno è oggi? = What day is today?
- Noi amiamo le domeniche = We love Sundays.
For some more complex examples:
- Lunedì prossimo andrò a trovare i miei amici = Next Monday I will go to see my friends.
- Sabato è il mio giorno di la settimana preferito = Saturday is my favorite day of the week!
- Cosa fai mercoledì? = What are you doing on Wednesday?
- Mercoledì sono andato al supermercato = On Wednesday I went to the supermarket.
Italian articles: Why do we need them
The singular articles in Italian are:
- Il / la / lo
Two examples would be:
- Il giorno = the day
- La settimana = the week
You'll notice that both translate to 'the' in the English language. However, the article il is masculine and the article la is feminine, so they'll be used depending on the gender of the noun that follows them or that they refer to.
Using Italian articles with the days of the week
When it comes to talking about the days of the week in Italian, generally speaking, articles aren't required unless you're discussing a repetitive action.
Some examples of sentences that would require articles are:
- Il martedì ho lezioni di nuoto = I have swimming lessons on Tuesday
- Il lunedì vado in ufficio = On Mondays I go to the office
- La domenica vado in campagna = On Sundays I go to the countryside
When to use the plural and singular forms in Italian
At times you'll have to employ the plural form of certain nouns. In which case, they'll be accompanied by the plural article in the appropriate gender.
- I = masculine plural article
- Le = feminine plural article
- Il martedì = Tuesday
- I martedì = Tuesdays
Or even:
- Il venerdì = Friday
- I venerdì = Fridays
Days of the week example phrases
- I giorni della settimana = the days of the week
- I fine settimana = the weekends
- Le domeniche = On Sundays
- I sabati = On Saturdays
Here are some complete sentences:
- Sabato vado a cena fuori = On Saturday I am going out for dinner
- Il sabato mi piace andare al parco. = On Saturdays I like to go to the park
The second sentence is plural whilst the first one is singular.
FAQs Relating to the Italian Days of the Week
Let's look at common questions from Italian learners relating to the days of the week in Italian.
How do you remember the days of the week in Italian?
Do you ever ask yourself what day of the week it is? In Italian or otherwise? Che giorno è oggi?
Well... we can't help y0u with that, but we can offer you some suggestions on how to know which day is which once you find your ground and remember what day it is.
One way to do that is to learn languages through song. Search for some songs on YouTube to help you memorize the days of the week in Italian. There are some songs about specific days like "Giovedì speciale" (A Special Thursday) by Bruno Lauzi or "...Lunedì" (...Monday) by Vasco Rossi.
The song "Discoteca" by Exchpoptrue actually innumerates all the days of the week from Monday through Sunday. You can also look up the Italian Days of the Week Song, especially for learning.
Or, you use the technique that we outline below, it's a great "cheat sheet."
What are the days in Italian named for?
Most days of the week in Italian (with the exception of Sunday) are named after the planets in the solar system. Let's take a look:
- Monday = Lunedì comes from Luna, which means Moon
- Tuesday = Martedì stems from Marte, which means Mars
- Wednesday = Mercoledì comes from Mercurio, which means Mercury
- Thursday = Giovedì comes Giove, which means Jupiter
- Friday = Venerdì comes from Venere, which means Venus
- Saturday = Sabato comes from Saturno, which means Saturn
- Sunday = Domenica means the day of the lord and comes from the Latin dominus, which means lord
How do you abbreviate days of the week in Italian?
In Italy, the days of the week are not usually abbreviated. However, when writing them in a list format or schedule, the first syllable of each day can be used as an abbreviation, as you can see below:
Monday = Lunedì: Lun.
Tuesday = Martedì: Mar.
Wednesday = Mercoledì: Mer.
Thursday = Giovedì: Gio.
Friday = Venerdì: Ven.
Saturday = Sabato: Sab.
Sunday = Domenica: Dom.
Useful expressions relating to time in Italian
Giorno = day
Oggi = today
Domani = tomorrow
Ieri = yesterday
Dopodomani = the day after tomorrow
Ieri sera = yesterday night
L'altro ieri = the day before yesterday
La settimana = the week
Il fine settimana / il weekend = the weekend
Venerdì sera = Friday evening
Sabato sera = Saturday evening
La settimana prossima = next week
Summing Up: Italian Days of the Week
So, now you know how to say and pronounce the days of the Italian week! Or better said... in Italiano, i giorni della settimana!
Today we've offered you a complete guide to learning how to say each day of the week on its own and in context, as well as tools that will help you remember them. Ora - you're ready for your trip to Italy.
Non rimandare a domani quello che puoi fare oggi. Or in English: Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today!
If you're serious about your goal to learn Italian, sign up for a free trial on Lingopie.
Oggi è il giorno!
