Essential Guide to Italian Weekdays for Learners

Say goodbye to missed trains, closed museums, and forgotten medical appointments! Mastering the days of the week in Italian simplifies your weekly planning and helps you stay organized.

If you’ve begun your Italian lessons online, you’re likely familiar with some fundamental concepts. This guide will enhance your learning by teaching you the names of the days of the week, how to use them in context, how to abbreviate them, and how to form complete sentences using these terms. Get ready to deepen your understanding of Italian!

Let’s get started.

Days of the week in Italian: The basics

Let’s start with some tips on how to write and use the days of the week in Italian:

Lunedì (Monday)

Monday, lunedì, originates from the Latin “Lunae dies”, day of the moon, luna in Italian.

• Il lunedì vado in palestra. On Mondays I go to the gym.
• Quest’anno il primo gennaio cade di lunedì. This year January 1 falls on a Monday.

Martedì (Tuesday)

The word martedì, Tuesday, comes from the Latin word “Martis dies” and means Mars day.

• Arriverò martedì prossimo. I will arrive next Tuesday.
• Il museo apre solo di martedì. The museum is only open on Tuesdays.

Mercoledì (Wednesday)

Mercoledì, Wednesday, was dedicated to the god Mercury: in Latin, it was “Mercŭrī dies”, the day of Mercury.

• Il mercoledì vado a lezione di italiano. On Wednesdays I go to Italian class.
• L’aereo per tornare nella mia città parte solo di mercoledì. The plane back to my city leaves only on Wednesday.

Giovedì (Thursday)

Thursday, or “Giovedì” in Italian, is named after the god and planet Jupiter, known as “Giove” in Italian. In Latin, this day was referred to as “Iovis dies,” which translates to “the day of Jupiter.”

• Il prossimo giovedì devo andare dal dentista. Next Thursday I have to go to the dentist.
• Il giovedì inizio a lavorare alle 10. On Thursday I start work at 10 a.m.

Venerdì (Friday)

Venerdì, the last day of the Italian week, takes its name from the planet Venus, reflecting its Latin roots in “Venĕris dies,” meaning “day of Venus.”

• Mi piace uscire con le amiche il venerdì. I like to go out with friends on Fridays.
• Confermiamo la nostra riunione del venerdì? Shall we confirm our Friday meeting?

Sabato (Saturday)

Sabatowas derives its name from Saturn’s day, known as “Saturni dies” in Latin, which is why we call it “Saturday” in English. However, with the rise of Christianity, the Hebrew word “shabbat,” meaning “day of rest,” began to replace the pagan name in numerous languages, reflecting a shift in cultural and religious practices.

In Italian, the resulting name for Saturday is sabato, from the Latin “sabbatum”.

• Sabato è il giorno della settimana che preferisco. Saturday is my favorite day of the week.
• Il sabato non vado a lavoro. I don’t go to work on Saturdays.

Domenica (Sunday)

The Italian word for Sunday, “domenica,” was established by Roman Emperor Constantine after his conversion to Christianity. Derived from the Latin term “dominĭca,” meaning “(day) of the Lord,” it replaced the older name “Solis dies,” which referred to the day of the Sun.

• La domenica è dedicata al relax. Sunday is dedicated to rest.
• Spero che domenica faccia bel tempo. I hope Sunday will have good weather.

Tips for using the days of the week in Italian

Having learned the days of the week in Italian, let’s explore some helpful tips and guidelines to enhance your writing, pronunciation, and memorization of these terms.

Structure and pronunciation

You might have observed from the earlier examples that the names of the first five days of the week in Italian share a common pattern—they all conclude with the accented syllable “-dì.” This distinctive ending gives them a rhythmic quality that makes them easier to remember.

• Lunedì, martedì, mercoledì, giovedì, venerdì.

When you say these words, the emphasis is placed on the last syllable—dì. That’s why you see an accent on the final “i.”

Sabato (Saturday) and domenica (Sunday) are different. They have no accented letters, and the stress falls on different syllables:

• Accent in the first syllable for sabato: sa-ba-to.
• Accent in the second syllable for domenica: do-me-ni-ca.

How to use articles and prepositions with days of the week?

The first six weekdays in Italian, from lunedì (Monday) to sabato (Saturday), are masculine. Use the masculine singular article il: il lunedì, il martedì, il mercoledì, etc.

The exception is la domenica, Sunday: this is a feminine noun, and you should use the feminine article la. 

In general, in Italian, you don’t need to use the article before the days of the week.

If you don’t use “the” before a day of the week, it indicates that you’re referring to the upcoming day that is nearest to today.

• Verrò da te giovedì. I will come to you on Thursday (this/next Thursday).
• È partita mercoledì. She left on Wednesday (this/next Wednesday).
• Attending an Italian class this week on Monday and Tuesday only.

The definite article (il or la) indicates that the action being referred to occurs repeatedly over time or that the day holds special significance for the speaker.

• It occurred on Sunday, the day I was departing for a trip.
• Finalmente è arrivato il lunedì. Monday finally came. (that Monday when, for example, I am starting a new job).
• La domenica vado a teatro. On Sundays, I go to the theatre. (every Sunday).
• I attend a singing class every Monday and Tuesday.

You can substitute the preposition “di” for the definite articles “il” or “la” to convey a sense of repetition in your sentences. This switch doesn’t alter the overall meaning, allowing for a nuanced expression of recurring actions.

• Il lunedì scrivo gli impegni della settimana nel calendario.

Di lunedì scrivo gli impegni della settimana nel calendario.

On Monday I write the week’s commitments in the calendar. (= every Monday)

• Il sabato sera vado in pizzeria.

Di sabato sera vado in pizzeria.

On Saturday night I go to the pizzeria. (= every Saturday)

• La domenica mi sveglio tardi.

Di domenica mi sveglio tardi.

On Sundays I wake up late. (= every Sunday)

The indefinite article (un or una) before the name of the day, in Italian, means “any” day:

• Un lunedì. A Monday. (= any Monday)
• Join me for breakfast one Sunday if you’re interested!

Are days of the week capitalized in Italian?

Unlike English, the days of the week in Italian are not capitalized.

But you should use capital letters to write about specific dates of the year, for example: 

• Sabato Santo (Holy Saturday), Martedì Grasso (Shrove Tuesday), Mercoledì delle ceneri (Ash Wednesday).

How do you abbreviate the days of the week in Italian?

On many occasions, you will come across abbreviated days of the week. Here’s how to do it correctly:

• Lunedì: lun. or l.
• Martedí: mar. or ma.
• Mercoledì: mer. or me.
• Giovedì: gio. or g.
• Venerdì: ven. or v.
• Sabato: sab. or s.
• Domenica: dom. or d.

Useful vocabulary to talk about the Italian days of the week

Here’s some extra vocabulary to talk about the week in Italian:

• Il giorno. The day.
• La settimana. The week.
• Il fine settimana. The weekend.
• Oggi. Today.
• Ieri. Yesterday.
• Domani. Tomorrow.
• L’altro ieri. The day before yesterday.
• Dopodomani. The day after tomorrow.
• La settimana prossima. Next week.
• La settimana scorsa. Last week.

To learn other key time-related expressions, read our guide on how to tell the time in Italian.

Studying Italian is easy with LingualNeeds

Mastering the days of the week in Italian can be straightforward, but incorporating them into full sentences introduces a delightful challenge. To enhance your fluency and confidently use Italian expressions, consider taking personalized 1-to-1 lessons with native Italian tutors. This tailored approach can significantly boost your language skills!

Discover LingualNeeds, the ideal platform for mastering Italian! Here, you can effortlessly connect with top-rated tutors who specialize in guiding you through the intricacies and wonders of the language. Tailor your search by factors such as tutor ratings, pricing, availability, and additional languages spoken to find the perfect match for your learning journey.

Additionally, if you’re not satisfied after your first lesson, you have the option to switch tutors at no cost or receive a full refund.

HubSpot Call-to-Action Code [if lte IE 8]>

<div id=”hs-cta-ie-element”></div>

<![endif] end HubSpot Call-to-Action Code

Next steps

Your Italian tutors always emphasize a valuable lesson: “Non rimandare a domani ciò che puoi imparare oggi,” which translates to “Don’t postpone until tomorrow what you can learn today!” Embracing this mindset can enhance your learning experience and help you make the most of every opportunity to grow.

Begin your journey into the Italian language by mastering the days of the week. With this knowledge, you’ll soon find yourself confidently planning trips and appointments while exploring Italy!