How To Say The Days Of The Week In Italian

When learning the days of the week, I find it helpful to understand where the names come from. (In Russian, this ended up being super-easy.) In Italian, it's a little different, but I still think it's helpful, and it's also fascinating to learn a little about the Italian language's Roman roots.

Sunday - Domenica

The word domenica comes to us completely unchanged from its original Latin form domenica, meaning "day of God".

Monday - Lunedì

Just as the word "moon" is reflected in the name "Monday", the Italian word lunedì comes to us from the Latin lunae dies, or "day of the moon."

Tuesday - Martedì

The name martedì is derived from the Latin name Martis dies, or "day of Mars."

Wednesday - Mercoledì

The word mercoledì comes from the Latin name Mercurĭi dies, for "day of Mercury."

Thursday - Giovedì

By Jove, the name giovedì does come from the Latin Jove dies, or "day of Jove" (aka Jupiter).

Friday - Venerdì

The word venerdì is named for the Roman goddess Veneris (aka, Venus), and comes from the Latin term Venĕris dies.

Saturday - Sabato

And finally, sabato is derived from the Latin word sabbatum, which itself comes from the Hebrew word shabbat, meaning "sabbath" or "seventh" day.

Want to see my favorite language resources and courses?
I listed them here.