samedi
/sam.di/
The English phrase 'on Saturday' is translated into French as samedi.
The word samedi is used to indicate that an event or action happens on the day of the week called Saturday.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'on Saturday' in French, you simply use the name of the day without a preposition. If you want to say 'on Saturdays' to indicate a recurring or habitual event, you should add the definite article before the word, forming le samedi.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables and is pronounced /sam.di/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the preposition 'sur' to translate 'on' in time expressions. In French, you should use no preposition at all for specific days rather than saying sur samedi.
Did you know?
- The word samedi is a linguistic traveler that traces its roots back to the Hebrew word for the Sabbath, שַׁבָּת.
- French speakers use the term samedi soir specifically to distinguish between the daytime and the evening, as 'on Saturday' does not imply a time of day.
- The phrase le samedi can be used to describe a habitual action, but it can also be used in a sentence to describe a specific Saturday in the past or future when adding a descriptive adjective.
Examples in context
- Que fais-tu samedi ?What are you doing on Saturday?This sentence is useful for asking about plans for the specific day of samedi.Tatoeba #7777024 by felix63, translation #13807990 by tieguy
- Êtes-vous ouvert samedi ?Are you open on Saturday?This sentence is useful for asking if a business is open on samedi.Tatoeba #6556115 by Aiji, translation #2780830 by sharptoothed
- Travailles-tu samedi aussi ?Do you work on Saturday as well?This sentence is useful for asking if someone also works on samedi.Tatoeba #6199688 by felix63, translation #6196806 by sundown
- Je vais à la plage le samedi .I go to the beach on Saturday.
- Partons explorer la ville samedi prochain .Let's go explore the city next Saturday.
- 38 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are planning a weekend outing.
- EmmaOn se voit samedi ?Shall we see each other on Saturday?
- HugoOui, samedi c'est parfait pour moi.Yes, Saturday is perfect for me.
- EmmaTu veux aller au cinéma samedi ?Do you want to go to the cinema on Saturday?
- HugoBonne idée, on fait ça samedi.Good idea, let's do that on Saturday.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry samedi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries samedi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
