What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of días (days), de (of) and la semana (the week).
How does it change in a sentence?
The individual days of the week are masculine nouns. You typically precede them with the definite article el for singular or los for plural, such as el lunes or los lunes. To express that something happens every Monday (on Mondays), you use the plural article with the singular day name, like los lunes. Note that the days from Monday through Friday, lunes, martes, miércoles, jueves and viernes, are invariant in form. They do not change their spelling in the plural, only the article changes.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly try to use the preposition en to say "on Monday". In Spanish, you should not use en. Instead, simply use the definite article, such as el lunes.
Did you know?
- The Spanish naming convention for the days martes, miércoles, jueves and viernes follows the sequence of the planets Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and Venus.
- The Spanish word for week, semana, is a mathematical relative of the English word 'seven'. It comes from the Latin word for 'seventh', highlighting that a week is a seven-day cycle.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the week is traditionally viewed as starting on lunes (Monday) rather than domingo (Sunday), which is common in the US and Canada.
Examples in context
- Mañana tenemos una reunión importante el lunes.Tomorrow we have an important meeting on Monday.
- Esta semana el martes es feriado.This week Tuesday is a holiday.
- ¿Vamos al cine el miércoles?Shall we go to the cinema on Wednesday?
- El jueves tengo una cita con el médico.I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday.
- Voy a la playa todos los sábados.I go to the beach every Saturday.
- Los domingos siempre desayuno con mi familia.I always have breakfast with my family on Sundays.
- Los días de la semana son siete.The days of the week are seven.
- ¿Cuáles son tus días de la semana favoritos?Which are your favorite days of the week?
- Necesito aprender los días de la semana en español.I need to learn the days of the week in Spanish.
Example conversation
Mateo and María are studying for a Spanish exam.
- MateoMaría, ¿sabes los días de la semana?María, do you know the days of the week?
- MaríaSí, Mateo, los sé perfectamente.Yes, Mateo, I know them perfectly.
- Mateo¡Qué bien! ¿Me puedes ayudar a practicar?That's great! Can you help me practice?
- MaríaClaro que sí, vamos a empezar.Of course, let's start.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, la, semana, CC BY-SA 4.0.
