Days of the Week in Italian – A Beginner’s Guide (with Audio)
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Days of the week in Italian are lunedì, martedì, mercoledì, giovedì, venerdì, sabato, and domenica. Learning them will help you talk about your week, plan activities with friends, and make reservations in Italian.
When I was learning Italian at university, my teacher, an Italian lady, said “All the days are masculine in Italian, except Sunday. It’s feminine because it’s the best day.” Thanks to her fun intro to the subject, I never forgot what day was of which gender. I’m sharing this now so you’ll remember as well!
| Days of the Week in Italian | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Italian | Pronunciation | Audio |
| Monday | lunedì | lu-ne-DÌ | |
| Tuesday | martedì | mar-te-DÌ | |
| Wednesday | mercoledì | mer-co-le-DÌ | |
| Thursday | giovedì | gio-ve-DÌ | |
| Friday | venerdì | ve-ner-DÌ | |
| Saturday | sabato | SÀ-ba-to | |
| Sunday | domenica | do-MÈ-ni-ca | |
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The Italian Days of the Week: i giorni della settimana
Here are the days of the week in Italian, from Monday to Sunday:
- lunedì: “Monday”
- martedì: “Tuesday”
- mercoledì: “Wednesday”
- giovedì: “Thursday”
- venerdì: “Friday”
- sabato: “Saturday”
- domenica: “Sunday”
| Days of the Week in Italian | ||
|---|---|---|
| English | Italian | Audio |
| Monday | lunedì | |
| Tuesday | martedì | |
| Wednesday | mercoledì | |
| Thursday | giovedì | |
| Friday | venerdì | |
| Saturday | sabato | |
| Sunday | domenica | |
Pronunciation Tips for Italian Days of the Week
Italian spelling gives you useful pronunciation clues, but it is not a perfect sound-by-sound code. Use the audio above alongside this Italian pronunciation guide, and pay particular attention to stress.
The five days ending in -dì are stressed on that final syllable, and the written accent is part of the correct spelling. In sabato, stress the first syllable: SÀ-ba-to. In domenica, stress the second: do-MÈ-ni-ca. At the start of giovedì, the gi sounds like the English j in “jam”; the i is not a separate syllable. The c in mercoledì sounds like k.
Here is the stress pattern in one place. Capital letters mark the stressed syllable; this is a learner’s guide, not IPA.
- lunedì: lu-ne-DÌ
- martedì: mar-te-DÌ
- mercoledì: mer-co-le-DÌ
- giovedì: gio-ve-DÌ
- venerdì: ve-ner-DÌ
- sabato: SÀ-ba-to
- domenica: do-MÈ-ni-ca
| Days of the Week in Italian | ||
|---|---|---|
| English | Stress guide | Audio |
| Monday | lu-ne-DÌ | |
| Tuesday | mar-te-DÌ | |
| Wednesday | mer-co-le-DÌ | |
| Thursday | gio-ve-DÌ | |
| Friday | ve-ner-DÌ | |
| Saturday | SÀ-ba-to | |
| Sunday | do-MÈ-ni-ca | |
Grammar Tips for Italian Days
Domenica is feminine; the other six day names are masculine. For a specific day or a one-off plan, the day often appears without an article: Martedì vado in palestra means “I’m going to the gym on Tuesday.” A definite article usually makes the action habitual: il martedì means “on Tuesdays”, while la domenica means “on Sundays”. You will also hear di with a day for a regular pattern, as in di domenica.
- Il martedì vado in palestra: “On Tuesdays, I go to the gym.”
- Martedì sono andato/andata in palestra: “I went to the gym on Tuesday.”
- Sara è nata in un freddo lunedì mattina: “Sara was born on a cold Monday morning.”
- Era una domenica nebbiosa: “It was a foggy Sunday.”
There is one more useful number rule: lunedì through venerdì do not change in the plural, while sabato becomes sabati and domenica becomes domeniche.
Unlike English, Italian normally writes the days of the week and the months of the year with a lowercase initial. Use a capital at the beginning of a sentence and in the names of particular occasions, such as Venerdì santo.
Example Phrases with Italian Days of the Week
Days come up often when you make plans and appointments. These 15 Italian sentences put the vocabulary into context. Adapt them to your own plans, then say them aloud.
- Posso prenotare un tavolo per due persone per mercoledì sera? – “Can I book a table for two for Wednesday evening?”
- Avete disponibilità per un taglio di capelli questo venerdì? – “Do you have availability for a haircut this Friday?”
- Sarò a Roma da lunedì a giovedì per lavoro. – “I will be in Rome from Monday to Thursday for work.”
- La palestra è chiusa di domenica. – “The gym is closed on Sundays.”
- Il martedì e il giovedì ho le lezioni di italiano. – “I have Italian lessons on Tuesday and Thursday.”
- Facciamo la riunione sabato mattina? – “Shall we have the meeting on Saturday morning?”
- Questo lunedì è festivo, quindi il negozio sarà chiuso. – “This Monday is a public holiday, so the store will be closed.”
- La consegna è prevista per domenica prossima. – “The delivery is scheduled for next Sunday.”
- La domenica, vado da mia nonna. – “On Sundays, I go to my grandmother’s place.”
- Non lavoro nei fine settimana. – “I don’t work on weekends.”
- Hai impegni per sabato sera? – “Do you have plans on Saturday evening?”
- Sono libero/libera giovedì pomeriggio, vuoi andare al cinema? – “I am free on Thursday afternoon. Would you like to go to the cinema?”
- Matteo è arrivato lunedì mattina. A che ora è il tuo volo? – “Matteo arrived on Monday morning. What time is your flight?”
- Ho un appuntamento con il dentista venerdì alle 3. – “I have an appointment with the dentist on Friday at 3.”
- Il ristorante è aperto tutti i giorni tranne il martedì. – “The restaurant is open every day except Tuesday.”
Fun Facts About Italian Days
The names from lunedì to venerdì come from Latin expressions connecting each day with the Moon or a Roman god associated with a planet:
- Lunedì is for luna, or moon,
- Martedì is for Mars,
- Mercoledì is for Mercury,
- Giovedì is for Jupiter, Giove in Italian,
- Venerdì is for Venus.
The weekend names follow a different history. Sabato comes through Latin sabbatum from Hebrew shabbat, a day of rest. Domenica comes from the Latin dies dominica, meaning “the day of the Lord”.
Other Ways of Talking About the Days in Italian
While talking about our days, we often use words like today, yesterday, and tomorrow. The following vocabulary will come in handy:
| Useful Italian Time Words | ||
|---|---|---|
| Italian | English | Audio |
| oggi | “Today” | |
| ieri | “Yesterday” | |
| domani | “Tomorrow” | |
| dopodomani | “The day after tomorrow” | |
| ora | “Now” | |
| dopo | “Later” | |
| mai | “Never” | |
| ancora | “Still / again” | |
| sempre | “Always” | |
| ogni giorno | “Every day” | |
| ogni settimana | “Every week” | |
| ogni domenica | “Every Sunday” | |
| scorso/scorsa | “Last” | |
| mercoledì scorso | “Last Wednesday” | |
| prossimo/prossima | “Next” | |
| domenica prossima | “Next Sunday” | |
| la settimana prossima | “Next week” | |
| il prossimo fine settimana | “Next weekend” | |
Talking About Your Week in Italian
Now that we know all the days and related vocabulary, let’s practice by talking about our weekly routine or plans. Here are some example questions and sentences you can work with:
- Cosa fai di lunedì? – “What do you do on Mondays?”
- Lunedì vado a lavorare. – “I’m going to work on Monday.”
- Sei impegnato/impegnata questa settimana? – “Are you busy this week?”
- Sono impegnato/impegnata martedì. Ho riunioni tutto il giorno. – “I’m busy on Tuesday. I have meetings all day.”
- Il mercoledì ho lezione d’italiano. – “On Wednesdays, I have my Italian lesson.”
- Oggi è giovedì: tocca a me preparare la cena. – “Today is Thursday, so it’s my turn to cook dinner.”
- Venerdì esco con gli amici. – “I’m going out with friends on Friday.”
- Sabato mattina vado a fare la spesa. – “On Saturday morning, I go grocery shopping.”
- Mi piace mangiare al ristorante la domenica. – “I like to eat at restaurants on Sundays.”
Time to Practice With More Resources
Put the vocabulary to work by describing one real week: say what you did yesterday, what you are doing today, and one plan for tomorrow. For more practice, explore these Italian apps, YouTube channels and podcasts. You can also read Fluent in 3 Months founder Benny Lewis’ guide Why Italian is Easy or our review of Olly Richards’ Italian Uncovered course.
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