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 | /lune'di/ | |
| Tuesday | Martedì | /marte'di/ | |
| Wednesday | Mercoledì | /merkole'di/ | |
| Thursday | Giovedì | /dʒove'di/ | |
| Friday | Venerdì | /vener'di/ | |
| Saturday | Sabato | /'sabato/ | |
| Sunday | Domenica | /do'menika/ | |
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
In Italian, words are pronounced the same way they’re written, which makes learning Italian pronunciation way easier. Of course, this is true for the days of the week as well.
To fine-tune your pronunciation, pay attention to where the stress is. Days ending in -dì have their stress on the last syllable, meaning that the -dì will sound stronger than the other syllables. For sabato, the stress is in the first syllable, SA-ba-to, and for domenica, it’s on the second, do-ME-ni-ca.
Here’s a list so you can see all in one place:
- Lunedì: /lune’di/
- Martedì: /marte’di/
- Mercoledì: /merkole’di/
- Giovedì: /dʒove’di/
- Venerdì: /vener’di/
- Sabato: /'sabato/
- Domenica: /do’menika/
| Days of the Week in Italian | ||
|---|---|---|
| English | Pronunciation | Audio |
| Monday | /lune'di/ | |
| Tuesday | /marte'di/ | |
| Wednesday | /merkole'di/ | |
| Thursday | /dʒove'di/ | |
| Friday | /vener'di/ | |
| Saturday | /'sabato/ | |
| Sunday | /do'menika/ | |
Grammar Tips for Italian Days
Except domenica, which is feminine, all the Italian days are masculine. This means that they would take the article il or un, whereas domenica would take la or una. However, in general, we don’t use articles with the days of the week in Italian. When we add il or la in front of the day, it means that we’re talking about something we do all the time. Un or una conveys the meaning of a/an.
- 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.”
Unlike English, Italian doesn’t capitalize the days of the week or the months of the year. That’s unless the days are at the beginning of the sentence — which you can see in the example sentences above.
Example Phrases with Italian Days of the Week
We talk about days all the time, especially when making plans and appointments. Here are 15 useful Italian sentences that put days into context — adapt these to yourself and practice the days of the week.
- 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 Sunday.”
- Il martedì e il giovedì ho le lezioni di italiano. – “I have Italian lessons on Tuesday and Thursday.”
- Facciamo la riunione il 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 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 giorno 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
Did you know that the Italian weekdays all represent one of the planets and satellites of the solar system?
- 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.
For fine settimana, or weekend days, it’s quite different. Sabato originates from the Latin word sabbatum, which comes from the Hebrew word shabbat. Domenica’s roots also lie in Latin, 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:
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 Monday?”
- Lunedì, vado a lavorare. – “On Monday, I go to work.”
- 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, it’s my turn to cook dinner.”
- Venerdì, esco con gli amici. – “On Friday, I go out with friends.”
- Sabato mattina vado a fare la spesa. – “On Saturday morning, I go grocery shopping.”
- Mi piace mangiare fuori al ristorante la domenica – “I like to eat out at restaurants on Sundays.”
| Days of the Week in Italian | ||
|---|---|---|
| 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” | |
Time to Practice With More Resources
By talking about your week or your days, you’ll learn lots of new words. And they will be useful ones since they’ll be vocabulary for activities you do daily or weekly. Take a look at language learning apps, YouTube channels, and podcasts to take your Italian to the next level. A good place to start for committed learners would be Fluent in 3 Months founder Benny Lewis’ guide Why Italian is Easy or Olly Richards’ course Italian Uncovered
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