Learning the days of the week is essential for any language learner. From booking an appointment to making a hotel reservation, knowing how to say the days of the week is a vital part of everyday speaking.
Days of the Week
The days of the week in English are:
- Monday
- Tuesday
- Wednesday
- Thursday
- Friday
- Saturday
- Sunday
Saturday and Sunday are known as the weekend. (Saturday + Sunday = the weekend)
How do you pronounce and spell the days of the week in English?
The pronunciations and spellings of English weekday names can seem confusing. This is because they originated from other languages, and are not pronounced as they are spelled.
| The weekdays in English | IPA pronunciation | Pronunciation for native English speakers |
| Monday | /mʌn.deɪ/ | Mun-day |
| Tuesday | /ˈtjuːzdeɪ/ | Tuez-day |
| Wednesday | /ˈwenzdeɪ/ | Wens-day |
| Thursday | /ˈθɜː(r)zdeɪ/ | Thurz-day |
| Friday | /ˈfraɪdeɪ/ | Fry-day |
| Saturday | /ˈsætədeɪ/ | Sah-der-day |
| Sunday | ˈsʌn.deɪ/ | Sun-day |
Plural forms of the days of the week
The plurals of the days’ name are formed by adding an “s” at the end of the word, like this:
Mondays
Tuesdays
Wednesdays
Thursdays
Fridays
Saturdays
Sundays
Days of the Week Practice
What day is today?
Today is Monday.
What are you doing tomorrow?
I went to the park yesterday.
My grandma’s birthday is on Saturday.
What are some handy English words and expressions I should also know?
The days of the week are surrounded by other words, phrases, and idioms.
| Weekend | – refers to Saturday and Sunday only, or to the two days that end the week. |
| Weekday | – refers to any of the weekdays, but not the weekend. |
| Working week | – refers to the traditional five days that we go to work: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. |
| Next week/ last week | – refers to some point in the week following or preceding the current one. |
| In a week | – refers to a time seven days into the future (when something will happen). |
| A day off | – means a day spent away from work. |
| A sick day | – means a day spent away from work because of illness. |
| One day next week | – describes a relaxed and calm approach to an arduous situation or task. |
| Tomorrow | – refers to the day after the current day. Thus any day can be ‘tomorrow’ because it always refers to the next day to arrive. |
| Weeknight | – refers to any evening of any weekday, but not the weekend. |
| Weekly | – refers to something that occurs every week. |
| Daily | – refers to something that occurs every day. |
The names and origins of the days of the week in English
Sunday
The name “Sunday” (pronounced SUHN day) is easy to remember because many cultures and languages associate the sun with daytime. Many of the days of the week in English have roots in old German and Norse languages, which saw the sun as a goddess named Sunna or Sól.
Monday
Some people love Sunday because it’s relaxing and hate Monday because it’s the start of the work week. Just like the moon follows the sun, Monday (pronounced MOHN day) follows Sunday since “Mon” comes from the word “moon.” In Norse mythology, the moon god is the brother of the sun goddess, so you can remember that Sunday and Monday always have to go together.
Tuesday
Tuesday (pronounced TOOZ day) is also named after a god: Tyr, the one-handed Norse god of dueling. While it remains a mystery why Tyr would be assigned specifically to the third day of the week, “Tuesday” can easily be remembered for its phonetic similarity to “two,” as in, the second day of the work week. (Another “T” to remember would be Taco Tuesday, a popular trend where Mexican restaurants offer discounts on tacos.)
Wednesday
Possibly because Wednesday (pronounced WENZ day) is the middle of the week, the origin of this name is Odin, also known as Woden. In Norse mythology, Odin is considered the most powerful god, so perhaps he also represented strength and balance, something that many people think you need to get through “hump day.”
Thursday
Thursday has gained appreciation in popular culture due to its rebranding as Friday’s eve and the social media hashtag #throwback_thursday, where people post old pictures of their past selves. In the UK, elections are held on Thursdays
Friday
Friday (pronounced FRY day) may compete with Saturday for the most popular day of the week, but many people are unaware that Friday is one of the only days named after a female goddess, Freya. According to Norse tradition, Freya was Odin’s wife and can be thought of as a Norse Venus, representing beauty and love.
Saturday
From Saturday Night Fever to Saturday Night Live, Saturday (pronounced SA tuhr day) is a popular day of the week in English and a popular reference. Unlike most of the days of the week, Saturday does not have a Norse name but instead refers to the Roman god Saturn.
What is the meaning of the following expressions?
These days – right now or currently
That will be the day – that will never happen
I can’t wait till that day – I’m looking forward to when that happens
You’re going to get it one day - you are asking for trouble
Thank God it’s Friday – I’m glad the week is nearly over
Monday blues – I’m feeling down because it’s Monday
Tomorrow never comes – Anything you plan for “tomorrow” will never happen
Examples with “days of the week and week”
He starts her new project on Tuesday.
The 15th is a Monday.
I will come back next Saturday.
On Sundays we go on picnic.
You were born on a Friday.
They always go to the school at nine on Monday mornings.
Where were you last Wednesday? It is a Sunday morning.
10 May is a Thursday.
My father has worked the last three Saturdays.
What will you cook for Sunday lunch?
We play basketball once a week.
It will take weeks ( several weeks ) to do this job.
Friday is my favourite day of the week.
You should study hard for a week or two.
My new job starts a week tomorrow.
Please, give me a week for this.
They can find pregnancy stages week by week in that website.
You should take this medicine four times a week.
Our travel starts a week on Friday.
On weekdays I go to the bed early.
What did you do over the weekend? We are going away for the weekend ( this weekend ).
What are you doing this weekend? They spent the weekend sleeping.
some question about days of the week
1. What day comes after Monday?
_____________________________________
2. What day comes before Wednesday?
_____________________________________
3. How many days are there in a week?
_____________________________________
4. What’s the first day of the work week?
_____________________________________
5. If today is Tuesday, what day is the day after tomorrow?
Answers
- Tuesday
- Tuesday
- There are seven days in a week.
- Monday
- Thursday
