Learning all the days of the week in Spanish seems like a simple thing to do. Surprisingly, this is not as easy as it looks. Today I want to give you some tips on how to never forget the Spanish names of the days of the week.
I remember one of my students used to confuse the day “viernes” (Friday) with the word “viento” (wind.) One day she said to me “¡Qué bueno que es viento!,” but she meant “¡Qué bueno que es viernes!” Huge difference.
When learning a new language, one of the first things that people tend to learn are the days of the week. In Spanish, the days of the week are easy to learn, but not so easy to remember. Therefore, it can be helpful to have a guide to refer to.
In this blog post, we will cover all the days of the week in Spanish, how to say them and how to never forget them.
What Are the Days of the Week in Spanish?
The days of the week are as follows:
- lunes (Monday)
- martes (Tuesday)
- miércoles (Wednesday)
- jueves (Thursday)
- viernes (Friday)
- sábado (Saturday)
- domingo (Sunday)
Note that in Spanish, the days of the week are not capitalized, unless they are used at the beginning of a sentence.
Tip to Never Forget the Days of the Week
As mentioned earlier, the days of the week in Spanish are lunes, martes, miércoles, jueves, viernes, sábado, and domingo. Knowing the days of the week is essential for basic communication, whether you’re making plans with friends or setting a schedule.
The word “semana” (week) comes from the latin septimana (siete días or seven days.)
To never forget the days of the week in Spanish, take into account this helpful tip: the days are related to the planets and constellations we all know. See the comparisons below.
- lunes → Luna (Moon)
- martes → Marte (Mars)
- miércoles → Mercurio (Mercury)
- jueves → Júpiter (Jupiter)
- viernes → Venus (Venus)
- sábado → Saturno (Saturn)
- domingo → Sol (Sun) (Sunday)
Domingo was influenced by the Christians’ word dominica, which means “the Day of the Lord”) because it is a day of rest for Christians. Sábado is influenced by the Hebrew sabat, a day of rest for the jews.
How to Say the Days of the Week in Spanish
Now that you know what the days of the week are in Spanish, let’s take a look at how to say them. The pronunciation of the days of the week in Spanish can be a bit tricky, but with a little practice, you’ll be saying them with ease.
- Lunes (Monday) – /loo-nes/
- Martes (Tuesday) – /mar-tes/
- Miércoles (Wednesday) – /mee-air-coh-les/
- Jueves (Thursday) – /hoo-eh-ves/
- Viernes (Friday) – /vee-air-nes/
- Sábado (Saturday) – /sah-bah-doh/
- Domingo (Sunday) – /doh-meen-goh/
The key for a good pronunciation of the days of the week in Spanish is to know the pronunciation of vowels in Spanish. Every vowel in Spanish has one sound, which makes it easier for learners.
- a – /ah/ like the ‘a’ in accident
- e – /eh/ like the first ‘e’ in elefant
- i – /ee/ like the first sound of eagle
- o – /oh/ like the first ‘o’ of occasionally
- u – /oo/ like the ‘oo’ in foot
Days of the Week in Spanish: Plurals
When natives say a day of the week in plural, like los lunes, los martes, los miércoles, we refer to every Monday, every Tuesday, every Wednesday, and so on. If someone says “el martes” or “el lunes” with the article “el”, it usually means next Tuesday, next Monday. See examples below.
- Los domingos no hago ejercicio. (On Sundays I do not exercise)
- Los lunes salgo del trabajo más tarde. (On Mondays I get out of work later.)
- El martes voy a visitarte. (On Tuesday I am visiting you.)
- El jueves que viene vamos al bar. (Next Thursday we are going to a bar.)
Conclusion
Knowing all the days of the week in Spanish is a basic but important part of learning the language.
Whether you’re planning a trip to a Spanish-speaking country or simply looking to improve your language skills, mastering the days of the week in Spanish is a great place to start.
This guide provides all the tools you need to remember and confidently say all the days of the week in Spanish.
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