Days Of The Week In Spanish
Mastering the days of the week in Spanish is a fundamental step in building your everyday vocabulary. These seven essential words—Lunes (Monday), Martes (Tuesday), Miércoles (Wednesday), Jueves (Thursday), Viernes (Friday), Sábado (Saturday), and Domingo (Sunday)—are used constantly in daily communication.
Beyond simple memorization, understanding the specific grammatical rules associated with the days of the week is crucial, particularly regarding the use of articles when constructing sentences. Familiarity with these rules will significantly enhance your accuracy and naturalness in Spanish.
The Seven Days of the Week in Spanish
Below is a clear overview of the days, along with their English equivalents and pronunciation guidance:
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Lunes | Monday | loo-nays |
| Martes | Tuesday | mar-tays |
| Miércoles | Wednesday | mee-air-coh-lays |
| Jueves | Thursday | hway-bays |
| Viernes | Friday | bee-air-nays |
| Sábado | Saturday | sah-bah-doh |
| Domingo | Sunday | doh-ming-oh |
Useful Related Vocabulary
To effectively discuss schedules and daily life in Spanish, these additional vocabulary terms are highly beneficial:
| Spanish | English | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Día | Day | (m) |
| Semana | Week | (f) |
| Días de la semana | Days of the week | (m) |
| Fecha | Date | (f) |
See also: Months of the year in Spanish
Key Grammar Rules for Days of the Week
Adhering to these straightforward grammatical rules will ensure the correct usage of the days of the week in Spanish sentences:
Always Written in Lowercase: In Spanish, the days of the week are generally written using lowercase letters. Capitalization is only applied when the day is the very first word of a sentence.
- Mi día favorito es el sábado. (My favorite day is Saturday.)
- Sábado de chicas. (Girls’ Saturday.)
For additional details on capitalization, you can refer to Spanish capitalization rules.
Using “Es” for “It’s [Day]”: To express the current day, simply use the phrase “Es” (meaning “it’s” or “it is”) followed directly by the day of the week.
- Es domingo. – It’s Sunday.
- Es jueves. – It’s Thursday.
Using “El” for “On [Day]”: When indicating that an event occurs or will occur on a specific day, it is mandatory to use the definite article “El” before the day. Unlike English, the preposition “on” is not used in this context.
- El viernes es mi cumpleaños. – My birthday is on Friday.
- Voy a visitarte el martes. – I will go visit you on Tuesday.
- El miércoles no hay clases. – There’s no school on Wednesday.
Common Time Expressions
Expand your linguistic capabilities for discussing time with these frequently used phrases and words:
| Spanish | English | Gender/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pasado mañana | The day after tomorrow | |
| Antes de ayer | The day before yesterday | |
| El día siguiente | The next day | |
| El día anterior | The last day | |
| El último día | The last day | |
| Cumpleaños | Birthday | (m) |
| Día festivo | Public holiday | |
| Mañana | Morning | |
| Mediodía | Noon | (m) |
| Tarde | Afternoon | (f) |
| Noche | Night | (f) |
| Medianoche | Midnight | (f) |
Sentences with Days of the Week in Spanish
These examples further illustrate the practical application of days of the week and related time expressions within complete sentences:
- Mi cumpleaños es el lunes. – My birthday is on Monday.
- Es viernes y el cuerpo lo sabe. – It’s Friday and the body knows it. (A widely recognized phrase in Latin America).
- Esta noche veremos estrellas. – Tonight we are seeing stars.
- Es el último día de verano. – It’s the last day of summer.
- Dime la fecha del día festivo. – Tell me the date of the public holiday.
- Es mediodía, tengo hambre. – It’s noon, I’m hungry.
- La escuela inicia el lunes 4 de octubre del 202x. – School starts on Monday, October 4th, 202x.
Quiz and exercises
Having reviewed the days of the week in Spanish, it is beneficial to engage in practical application. The following quiz and exercises are designed to help you assess and consolidate your understanding of the vocabulary and grammatical rules discussed.
Quiz:
- What is the Spanish word for “Monday”?
- How do you write the days of the week in Spanish?
- Which article is used before the weekend days in Spanish?
- When do you capitalize the days of the week in Spanish?
- How do you say “It’s Thursday” in Spanish?
Exercise:
Translate the following sentences
- Today is Wednesday.
- What day is it tomorrow?
- My favorite day of the week is Friday.
- We have a meeting on Thursday.
- I don’t work on Saturdays and Sundays.
Answers:
- “Lunes”
- Days of the week in Spanish are written in lowercase, and they are capitalized only when they are the first word of a sentence.
- “El” is used before the weekend days in Spanish.
- The days of the week in Spanish are capitalized only when they are the first word of a sentence.
- “Es jueves.”
Translations
- Hoy es miércoles.
- ¿Qué día es mañana?
- Mi día favorito de la semana es el viernes.
- Tenemos una reunión el jueves.
- No trabajo los sábados ni los domingos.
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