Knowing the Italian days of the week is key to basic communication. Whether you’re planning a trip, scheduling an appointment, or just chatting about your day, you’ll need to know them.
This guide will give you everything you need to master the Italian days of the week, from pronunciation and grammar to their origins and cultural significance. We’ll also give you some practical examples and tips to help you remember them.
So, if you’re ready to dive in and learn the giorni della settimana, let’s get started!
The days of the week in Italian
Here are the days of the week in Italian, with their pronunciation:
- lunedì (loo-neh-DEE)
- martedì (mar-teh-DEE)
- mercoledì (mer-koh-leh-DEE)
- giovedì (joh-veh-DEE)
- venerdì (veh-ner-DEE)
- sabato (SAH-bah-toh)
- domenica (doh-MEH-nee-kah)
Notice that the first five days end with an accented “ì”. Accents in Italian (à, é, è, ì, ò, ù) mark the stressed syllable.
Like in many European countries, the Italian week begins on Monday (lunedì) and ends on Sunday (domenica).
Origins and interesting facts about the days of the week
Like many languages, the Italian names for the days of the week have roots in ancient Roman mythology and astronomical observations. You might notice a pattern in their derivations:
- Lunedì (Monday): Comes from “luna,” the Italian word for the moon.
- Martedì (Tuesday): Derived from “Marte,” or Mars, the Roman god of war.
- Mercoledì (Wednesday): Named after “Mercurio,” or Mercury, the fleet-footed messenger of the gods.
- Giovedì (Thursday): From “Giove,” or Jupiter, king of the gods.
- Venerdì (Friday): Inspired by “Venere,” or Venus, the goddess of love and beauty.
- Sabato (Saturday): This one’s a bit different! It comes from the Hebrew “Sabbath” by way of the Latin “Sabbatum.”
- Domenica (Sunday): Originates from the Latin “dies Dominica,” meaning “the Lord’s Day.”
Here are a few more interesting tidbits about the days of the week in Italian:
- They aren’t capitalized unless they start a sentence.
- They’re generally masculine, except for “domenica,” which is feminine.
- Most Italian nouns ending with an accented vowel don’t have plural forms, so the days of the week are usually written in their singular form (except for sabato and domenica).
Using articles with the days of the week
In Italian, you’ll use articles along with the days of the week in specific situations.
Definite articles for recurring events
To talk about something that happens regularly on a certain day, you’ll use the definite article. Il is used before masculine days, and la is used before domenica (Sunday).
- Il lunedì vado in palestra. (On Mondays, I go to the gym.)
- La domenica vado in chiesa. (On Sundays, I go to church.)
Using prepositions with days of the week
You can also use the prepositions di, a, al, or alla with the days of the week. But when you’re talking about a singular event on a particular day, you don’t need any article or preposition:
- Vado al cinema lunedì. (I’m going to the cinema on Monday.)
Adjectives scorso and prossimo
When you use adjectives such as scorso (last) and prossimo (next), you’ll use the articles:
- Domenica scorsa siamo andati in montagna. (Last Sunday, we went to the mountains.)
- Ci vediamo il prossimo sabato? (See you next Saturday?)
How to talk about recurring days of the week
To talk about things you do every Monday or each Tuesday, you can use the words tutti (every) and ogni (each) before the days of the week. For example:
- Tutti i lunedì (every Monday)
- Ogni martedì (each Tuesday)
There’s a minor grammar difference to keep in mind. When you use tutti, you need to use the plural form of the day. When you use ogni, you use the singular form.
Other ways to talk about days and times
Once you know the names of the days of the week, you can move on to some other common time-related words.
Common time-related vocabulary
- Oggi (today)
- Domani (tomorrow)
- Dopodomani (the day after tomorrow)
- Ieri (yesterday)
- L’altro ieri (the day before yesterday)
Italian words for time of day
- Mattina (morning)
- Pomeriggio (afternoon)
- Sera (evening)
- Notte (night)
- A pranzo (at lunchtime)
- A cena (at dinner time)
Weekend vocabulary
- Fine settimana (weekend)
- Il weekend (the weekend) – increasingly common usage
- Giorno di riposo (day off)
Memorization Techniques
Okay, so how do you actually remember all this stuff? Here are a few tricks I’ve found helpful:
- Make associations. Try linking the Italian word to something similar in your native language. For example, think of the moon (“luna” in Italian) when you see “lunedì” (Monday) – that can help you remember the calm start to the week.
- Use songs and rhymes. Seriously! Kids’ songs are catchy for a reason. Find a little rhyme or song online, or make up your own.
- Practice, practice, practice! Try to work the Italian days of the week into your daily conversations, even if it’s just with yourself.
To Conclude
As you’ve seen, understanding the Italian days of the week involves more than just memorizing a list. It’s about grasping the pronunciation, understanding the grammar (those pesky articles!), and appreciating the cultural context (why domenica is so important).
So, keep practicing! Try to weave the days of the week into your everyday conversations. The more you repeat them and use them in real-world situations, the better you’ll remember them and the more fluent you’ll become. In bocca al lupo!