The Days of the Week in Italian: a Complete Guide

Key Takeaways

Days of the week in Italian are derived from Latin, with Monday to Friday reflecting celestial bodies and gods, while Saturday and Sunday have different origins.
For specific dates, use the day alone without prepositions or articles, e.g., Vado al cinema lunedì (I’m going to the cinema on Monday).
Use the definite article il for regular events, e.g., Abbiamo una riunione il venerdì (We have a meeting on Fridays).
In informal contexts, days can be pluralized to indicate regular events, e.g., Vado in palestra i lunedì (I go to the gym on Mondays).
The preposition da indicates a starting point in time, e.g., Inizio il corso da lunedì (I’m starting the course from Monday).
Other expressions like ieri (yesterday), oggi (today), and domani (tomorrow) are commonly used to refer to days.

Stefano's Insights

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Parliamo dei giorni della settimana in italiano! Non solo ti aiuterà a pianificare caffè e riunioni, ma scoprirai anche che i giorni derivano dai pianeti. Ad esempio, lunedì è il giorno della luna. Ricorda, i giorni sono maschili, tranne domenica, e non usiamo maiuscole. Se vuoi indicare un'abitudine, aggiungi l'articolo, come 'il giovedì'. Ah, e non dimenticare che 'tutti i lunedì' rimane singolare, tranne 'domeniche'. Una volta, mentre insegnavo italiano, uno studente mi chiese perché odiassi i lunedì. Risposi: 'Perché sono lunedì!'

Let's talk about the days of the week in Italian! Not only will it help you plan coffees and meetings, but you'll also discover that the days are named after planets. For example, Monday is the day of the moon. Remember, the days are masculine, except for Sunday, and we don't capitalize them. If you want to indicate a habit, add the article, like 'il giovedì'. Oh, and don't forget that 'tutti i lunedì' stays singular, except 'domeniche'. Once, while teaching Italian, a student asked why I hated Mondays. I replied: 'Because they are Mondays!'

Quick facts

What is unique about the ending of the first five Italian weekdays?

The first five days end in "dì," an old term for "day."

How do the Italian days of the week relate to planets?

They derive from planetary names: lunedì (Moon), martedì (Mars), mercoledì (Mercury), giovedì (Jupiter), and sabato (Saturn).

Which Italian day of the week is an exception in terms of origin?

Domenica is the exception, derived from Latin "dominus," meaning "Lord."

Why is domenica unique among Italian days of the week?

Domenica is feminine, while all other days are masculine.

How do articles change the meaning of Italian weekdays?

Using articles like "la" or "il" indicates repetitive actions, as opposed to specific days.

How do Italians express recurring actions with days of the week?

Italians use "di" before the day, similar to using an article.

Are Italian days of the week capitalized?

No, unlike English, Italian days of the week are not capitalized.

How do you say "every Monday" in Italian?

Use "tutti i lunedì," keeping the day in singular form.

What alternate term do young Italians use for "weekend"?

Many young people say "il weekend" instead of "fine settimana."

How can you ask someone’s plans for the weekend in Italian?

Ask "Cosa farai questo fine settimana?" or "Cos’hai fatto questo weekend?"

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Main Article

The Days of the Week in Italian

Learning the days of the week in Italian is one of those simple but essential building blocks to improving your Italian, but be ready: learning their names will not be enough to properly master the language. You will need to understand how to use them grammatically.

In fact, when you use the days of the week in Italian, you need to consider several key grammatical rules regarding prepositions, articles, and pluralization. This will also allow you to properly say the date in Italian.

Here I will list you all these pieces of information, but first, let me start with their names and some interesting pills of linguistics, to introduce you to the history of the Italian language.

First of all, notice that all the days from Monday to Friday come from two Latin words: one is the reference, while the other is always dies, “day” in Latin. Therefore, these five weekdays in Italian are basically “the day of…”.

Lunedì (Monday), from Lunae (Moon), luna in Italian. Notice that Italian weeks begin on Monday, not Sunday, which I actually find so much more logical: you get through the whole weekend, rest, and then start fresh on Monday.
Martedì (Tuesday), from Martis (Mars), Marte in Italian, the Roman god of war, and many Romance languages name Tuesday after him.
Mercoledì (Wednesday), from Mercurii (Mercury), Mercurio in Italian, the god of communication, trade, and travel.
Giovedì (Thursday), from Jovis (Jupiter), Giove in Italian, the king of the Roman gods.
Venerdì (Friday), from Veneris, (Venus), Venere in Italian, the goddess of love.
Sabato (Saturday), from Sabbatum, which in turn comes from the Hebrew Shabbat. The transition from Hebrew to Latin and then Italian reflects a cross-linguistic influence. The concept of the Sabbath was adopted by Christian cultures and entered common use in Romance languages.
Domenica (Sunday), from Dies Dominica (the Lord’s day). Previously, it was Solis dies (day of the Sun), which some other languages still preserve, such as “Sunday” in English. The shift to Dominica reflects the Christianization of the Roman Empire.

How to use the Days of the Week in Italian

No Preposition or Article for Specific Dates

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When referring to activities that occur on a specific day, Italian does not use any preposition, unlike English. The day of the week stands alone:

Vado al cinema lunedì.

I’m going to the cinema on Monday.

Lavoro martedì.

I work on Tuesday.

Definite Article for Regular Events

When referring to events that occur regularly on a certain day, you must use the definite article il before the day of the week. We use the masculine singular article because it refers to giorno (day), except for domenica that is feminine.

This use translates to something like “every” in English:

Vado in chiesa la domenica.

I go to the church on Sundays/every Sunday.

Abbiamo una riunione il venerdì.

We have a meeting on Fridays/every Friday.

Pluralization of Days for Regular Events

In some informal contexts, the days of the week can also be used in the plural form to express regular, recurring events. However, this is less common and mainly heard in spoken language:

Vado in palestra i lunedì.

I go to the gym on Mondays.

Le lezioni sono i giovedì.

Classes are on Thursdays.

The form of all days of the week remains the same when pluralized, except for domenica, which can be pluralized in domeniche. However, remember that this is a very colloquial use.

Preposition “Da” for Period of Time

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When talking about something that started or will start on a certain day and continue into the future, we use the preposition da (from/since):

Inizio il corso da lunedì.

I’m starting the course from Monday.

Sono occupato da martedì.

I’ve been busy since Tuesday.

Da establishes a starting point in time and is often used when referring to ongoing events or actions.

“A” and “Fino a” for Time Ranges

To express actions that happen from one day to another, we use the preposition da (from) in combination with the preposition a (to) or the expression fino a (until):

Lavoro da lunedì a venerdì.

I work from Monday to Friday.

Sono in vacanza da sabato fino a martedì.

I’m on vacation from Saturday until Tuesday.

Other Words to Express Days of the Week

As you might wonder, there are also other expressions you can use to refer to the days of the week. Here, I listed the most common ones. Of course, most of them coincide with the Italian adverbs of time:

ieri: yesterday

Ieri era sabato.

Yesterday was Saturday.

oggi: today

Oggi è domenica.

Today is Sunday.

domani: tomorrow

Domani è lunedì.

Tomorrow is Monday.

dopodomani: the day after tomorrow

Martedì non è domani, ma dopodomani.

Tuesday is not tomorrow, but the day after tomorrow.

il fine settimana: the weekend

Cosa farai questo fine settimana?

What will you do this weekend?

Lately, instead of fine settimana, many young people also say il weekend.

Cos’hai fatto questo fine settimana? – Cos’hai fatto questo weekend?

What did you do this weekend?

Key Terms and Concepts

Days of the Week

In Italian, days are named after astronomical bodies and Roman gods, derived from Latin. Notably, weeks start with Lunedì (Monday).

Prepositions with Days

Italian uses no preposition for specific days. Use da for ongoing actions or da...a for time ranges.

Definite Articles for Regular Events

Use the definite article il before days to indicate regular events, similar to 'every' in English.

Pluralization of Days

For recurring events, Italian days can be pluralized. While uncommon, it reflects regularity, except for domenica, which pluralizes as domeniche.

Additional Time Expressions

Common expressions include ieri (yesterday), oggi (today), domani (tomorrow), and dopodomani (day after tomorrow).

Test your knowledge in 10 quick questions

Words

giornoday

settimanaweek

mesemonth

annoyear

oggitoday

ieriyesterday

domanitomorrow

calendariocalendar

ritmoroutine

femminilefeminine

Phrases

giorni della settimanadays of the week

lunediMonday

martedìTuesday

mercoledìWednesday

giovedìThursday

venerdìFriday

sabatoSaturday

domenicaSunday

tutti i giornievery day

fine settimanaweekend

Sentences

Lunedì vado in palestra.

On Monday, I go to the gym.

Ogni venerdì mangiamo pizza.

Every Friday, we eat pizza.

Il sabato esco con gli amici.

On Saturdays, I go out with friends.

La domenica è un giorno di riposo.

Sunday is a day of rest.

Martedì ho un appuntamento dal dottore.

I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday.

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Answers

FAQs

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

The days of the week in Italian are derived from the planets! So lunedì is the day of the moon (luna in Italian), martedì is the day of Mars (Marte), mercoledì is the day of Mercury (Mercurio), giovedì is devoted to Jupiter (Giove) and sabato is Saturn (Saturno). The only exception is domenica, which is the day of the Lord (from the Latin dominus - Lord).