Is learning the names of the days of the week in English important? Probably, if you want to schedule a date with that beautiful senorita from work or attend a meeting with tu jefe. We have to be able to say when something is happening no matter what language we speak.
Half the work of remembering the days of the week in English has been done for you: every name ends with DAY. All you have to do is memorise the first half of the 7 days. Here are some memory hooks to help you.
Let’s start with the best days of any week… la fin de semana.
A weekend is exactly what it says…the end of the week. It consists of 2 fun-filled and relaxing days when most people stay home from work/school.
Imagine if we all just SAT around on a SATurday doing nothing. What fun!
What if the SUN shone all day on SUNday? We could have a great time being outside with our families in a park.
English | Spanish |
Saturday | sabado |
Sunday | domingo |
Technically speaking, Saturday is the last day of the week and Sunday is the first day.
So now you know that a weekend consists of Saturday and Sunday. Two down and 5 to go.
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Notice that English names always have a capital letter while the Spanish ones generally do not.
How did the days get their names? Who decided what to call them and why (hint: it wasn’t their mum - the months and their dad - the years)? It is wrong to say they were given their English names. Like most words in English, they evolved from other languages.
Roman (Latin) and Viking (Norse) gods are the source of the names of the bodies in our solar system. The names of the days of the week come from these heavenly bodies.
Look closely and you will see the Spanish names you are more familiar with since Spanish is rooted in Latin. The Norse colonised England, and some names came from their gods.
Sunday:
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Monday:
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Tuesday:
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Wednesday:
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Thursday:
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Friday:
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Saturday:
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Did you pick those Spanish names up in the descriptions?
Over the centuries, parents have taught their children poems to memorise the days of the week. Sometimes I wonder if learning the names alone would have been a less challenging task. Whatever the case, here are a couple to get your brain cells busy.
Solomon Grundy |
Monday’s Child Nursery RhymeMonday’s child is fair of face |
Solomon Grundy, |
Another trick to memorise lists of things is to use the first letter of each word and create an easy-to-recall sentence (I remember using “my very energetic monkey jumped straight under nine planets” as a kid, long before the “p” was kicked off the list of planets in our solar system - don’t worry, Pluto is still part of the solar system, it just isn’t a planet any more).
You can create your own silly sentence to help you with this list. I thought of starting on a Monday and using the sentence “men try winning things for sexy Suzies” but then again you might want to try something a little more PC.
Blue Monday: when we are sad we are said to be BLUE. Everyone feels a little blue after our favorite days of the week have gone by. It may be even more relevant after a holiday period.
Example: "After the holiday season, the first day back to work is always a Blue Monday."
Ruby Tuesday: Refers to something or someone very special or precious. The phrase gained popularity from the Rolling Stones song "Ruby Tuesday." (Did you click the link above and listen to this classic?)
Example: "She's my Ruby Tuesday, always bringing joy into my life."
Hump Day: Refers to Wednesday, the middle day of the work week, implying that once you get over it, you're on the downhill slope towards the weekend, baby!
Example: "It's Hump Day, just two more days until the weekend!"
Throwback Thursday (TBT): A social media trend where people post old photos or memories, typically on Thursdays.
Example: "Here’s a picture of us from high school for Throwback Thursday!"
TGIF (Thank G-d it’s Friday): This is so famous that it was used in the name of TGI Fridays, a famous celebrity-owned restaurant/bar chain. The meaning: the work week is finally over and we get to enjoy our favorite 2 days again.
Saturday night special: Refers to a cheap, often low-quality handgun that is easily obtainable.
Example: "The police confiscated several Saturday night specials during the raid."
Month of Sundays: This means a very long period, often used to emphasise that something will not happen soon or has not happened for a long time.
Example: "I haven't seen him in a month of Sundays."
Here are some songs you can play and learn the weekday names while shaking your booty (slang for dancing).
"Ruby Tuesday" by The Rolling Stones
“Wednesday Night Interlude” by Drake / “Wednesday” by Harriette
‘Thursday’s Child” by David Bowie
“Friday” by Ice Cube / “Just Got Paid, It’s Friday Night” by Johnny Kemp
Most scheduling apps and calendars use abbreviations for the days, so they are good to know. Why do most days of the week abbreviations have 3 and the others more letters? Good question. It all has to do with syllables. The days are abbreviated to their 1st syllable.
Mon = Monday
Tues = Tuesday
Wed = Wednesday
Thurs = Thursday
Fri = Friday
Sat = Saturday
Sun = Sunday
Okay, with all that information, you probably remembered a few of the names of the days of the week. Or not. Here are some exercises to test your knowledge.
S___________ (named for the sun)
M___________ (named for the moon)
T___________ (named for Mars)
W__________ (named for Mercury)
T___________ (named for Jupiter)
F___________ (named for Venus)
S___________ (named for Saturn)
The day following Saturday is __________.
The day before Saturday is ____________(fun day).
The hump to get over in the middle of the week is __________.
This day is said to be a blue _________ because nobody really wants the week to start.
The Rolling Stones made this day red to follow the blue day before it. Ruby __________.
The God of Thunder and War had the honour of hammering this day into shape. ____________.
After a TGI Friday’s cocktail party, we will likely sleep in all day on ___________.
How did you do?
So which is your favourite day of the week?
Sunday (named for the sun)
Monday (named for the moon)
Tuesday (martes named for Mars)
Wednesday (miercoles named for Mercury)
Thursday (jove named for Jupiter)
Friday (viernes named for Venus)
Saturday (named for Saturn)
The day following Saturday is Sunday.
The day before Saturday is Friday (fun day)
The hump to get over in the middle of the week is Wednesday.
This day is said to be a blue Monday because nobody really wants the week to start.
The Rolling Stones made this day red to follow the blue day before it. Ruby Tuesday.
The God of Thunder and War had the honour of hammering this day into shape. Thursday.
After a TGI Friday’s cocktail party, we will likely sleep in all day on Saturday.