Days of the Week in Spanish: ¡Aprende Rápido!
Learning the days of the week is one of the first essential steps in mastering Spanish. They are crucial for making plans, understanding schedules, and talking about daily life.
The great news is that, unlike in English, the days of the week in Spanish are not capitalized (unless they start a sentence). Also, most of the days are named after planets and Roman gods!
The Days of the Week
Here is the full list of the seven days, along with their pronunciation and a note on their origin:
| Day | Spanish Word | Pronunciation (IPA) | Origin |
| Monday | lunes | /ˈlu.nes/ | Moon’s Day ($Luna$) |
| Tuesday | martes | /ˈmaɾ.tes/ | Mars’ Day ($Marte$) |
| Wednesday | miércoles | /ˈmjeɾ.ko.les/ | Mercury’s Day ($Mercurio$) |
| Thursday | jueves | /ˈxwe.βes/ | Jupiter’s Day ($Júpiter$) |
| Friday | viernes | /ˈbjeɾ.nes/ | Venus’ Day ($Venus$) |
| Saturday | sábado | /ˈsa.βa.ðo/ | Sabbath/Saturn |
| Sunday | domingo | /doˈmiŋ.ɡo/ | Day of the Lord ($Dominus$) |
Key Rules to Remember
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Capitalization: Remember, only capitalize the days of the week when they start a sentence.
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Gender: All days of the week are masculine (el lunes, el martes, etc.).
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Singular/Plural:
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lunes, martes, miércoles, jueves, viernes are the same in both singular and plural forms. You change the article to plural: el lunes (Monday) → los lunes (Mondays).
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sábado → sábados
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domingo → domingos
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Essential Spanish Vocabulary
To start using the days immediately, learn these related words:
| Spanish | English |
| hoy | today |
| ayer | yesterday |
| mañana | tomorrow |
| la semana | the week |
| el fin de semana | the weekend |
| entre semana | during the week/weekdays |
Putting it to Use: Example Sentences
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Hoy es martes.
Today is Tuesday.
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¿Qué día es hoy?
What day is today?
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El partido es el sábado.
The game is on Saturday.
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Voy al gimnasio los miércoles y los viernes.
I go to the gym on Wednesdays and Fridays (habitually).
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El fin de semana viajo a Madrid.
This weekend I’m traveling to Madrid.
Dichos y Expresiones Mexicanas
| Day | Spanish Expression / Saying | English Meaning / Context |
| Lunes |
«Querido Lunes: Tenemos que terminar. Estoy saliendo con Martes y sueño con Viernes.» (A modern, playful meme/saying) |
«Dear Monday: We have to break up. I’m going out with Tuesday and I dream about Friday.» (Used to express the universal dislike of Mondays.) |
| «No hay lunes sin su tarea.» (A common dicho or proverb) |
«There is no Monday without its chore/task.» (Meaning the start of the week inevitably brings work or responsibility.) |
|
| Martes | «Martes, ni te cases, ni te embarques.» (A classic Spanish-language proverb, very common in Mexico) |
«Tuesday, neither marry nor embark (on a journey).» (Tuesday the 13th is considered the day of bad luck in many Spanish-speaking countries, similar to Friday the 13th in the U.S.) |
| Miércoles | «Miércoles, el ombligo de la semana.» |
«Wednesday, the belly button/navel of the week.» (This means it’s the middle point of the work week, similar to «Hump Day» in English.) |
| Jueves | «Juevebes» (Slang/portmanteau) |
A playful combination of Jueves (Thursday) and Beber (to drink). It refers to the start of the party or drinking early in the week, often implying getting a head start on the weekend. |
| Viernes | «Viernes Social» (Slang/phrase) |
«Social Friday.» (Used to refer to the Friday tradition of going out with coworkers or friends after work to drink and socialize.) |
| «Viernes de…» (Slang/phrase) |
«Friday of…» (Often followed by a favorite activity like tacos, pizzas, chelas (beers), etc. $\rightarrow$ $\text{Viernes de tacos}$.) |
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| «¡Gracias a Dios es viernes!» (A direct translation of the English phrase, but very common.) |
«Thank God it’s Friday!» |
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| Sábado | «Sábado de Gloria» (Religious/Traditional) |
«Holy Saturday» or «Saturday of Glory.» (Refers specifically to the Saturday before Easter Sunday.) |
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Domingo |
«El ‘ya merito’ de la dieta es el domingo.» (A modern, humorous saying) |
«The ‘almost there’ of the diet is Sunday.» (A self-deprecating joke about Sunday being the day to break the diet, usually with family or rich food.) |
