How are the days of the week called in English? Days of the week in English: abbreviated and full options

The days of the week in English are one of the first and main topics that are studied when starting to master the language. Without designating a specific day, you cannot talk about your schedule or plans.

In this article, we will analyze the days of the week for English language with translation and transcription, we will recall how the word week is in English, we will give examples of the use of these words and explain their origin.

In some English speaking countries, namely in the USA and Canada, the week does not start on Monday, as in Russia, but on Sunday. In Great Britain, as well as at us - since Monday. Do you remember how the word “week” is in English? week. In English-speaking countries, the week also consists of 7 days. Day in English - day. There are 7 days in a week (There are 7 days in a week). Working days are from Monday to Friday, they are called workday [‘wə:kdei]. Weekends (Saturday and Sunday) are called weekend . Note that weekend is one weekend (Saturday and Sunday of one week), and weekends means a number of Saturdays and Sundays, "weekends".

Before we begin to study the days of the week, it is necessary to draw your attention to the fact that in English the days of the week are proper names and are written with capital letter. The abbreviated names of the days of the week in English are also capitalized. The same is true for the names of the months.

So let's start from day one american week. Sunday in English Sunday["sΛndei]. Abbreviated as Sun (similar to our sun.)

I like to sleep On Sundays (On Sundays I like to sleep).

Sunday is my favorite day of the week (Sunday is my favorite day of the week).

If we are talking about an action that takes place on a particular day, then any day of the week in English is used with the preposition on (in).

Monday in English Monday["mΛndei]. Abbreviated as Mon.

Monday is a hard day (Monday is a hard day).

I go to the swimming pool on Mondays (I go to the pool on Mondays).

Tuesday in English Tuesday["tju:zdei]. Short for Tue.

Tuesday is the third day of the week in the USA (Tuesday is the third day of the week in the USA).

We usually visit our friends on Tuesdays (We usually visit friends on Tuesdays).

Wednesday in English Wednesday["wenzdei]. Abbreviated as Wed.

Wednesday marks the middle of the week (Wednesday is the middle of the week).

My mother cooks fish on Wednesdays (My mother cooks fish on Wednesdays).

How do you say Thursday in English? Thursday["θə:zdei]. Abbreviated as Thu.

The shop is closed on Thursday (The shop is closed on Thursday).

I don't like Thursdays, I must get up early (I don't like Thursdays, I have to get up early).

How do you spell Friday in English? Friday["fraidei]. Abbreviated as Fri.

Friday is the last workday (Friday is the last working day).

We go to the tennis club on Fridays (On Fridays we go to the tennis club).

And we complete the days of the week in English in order, that is, Saturday Saturday["sætədei]. Abbreviated as Sat.

Saturday is the first day of the weekend (Saturday is the first day off).

They never work on Saturdays (They never work on Saturdays).

Let's repeat all the days of the week in English with pronunciation:

And the abbreviated names of the days of the week:

Also for effective memorization various associations help. For example, the origin of the names of the days of the week.

Monday (Monday) comes from the word "moon" (Moon).

Tuesday (Tuesday) - on behalf of the son of Odin, the god of war Tiu (Tui).

Wednesday (Wednesday) - on behalf of the supreme god of the Vikings Odin (Woden).

The name Thursday (Thursday) comes from the name of another son of Odin, the god of thunder Thor (Thor).

Friday (Friday) comes from the name of the goddess of fertility Freya (Freya).

Weekends are derived from the names of the stars and planets. Saturday (Saturday) - from Saturn (Saturn). Sunday (Sunday) - from the Sun (Sun).

When learning English with children, it is good to memorize the days of the week with the help of poems. For example:

Sunday, Monday - we are in the team.
Tuesday, Wednesday - we'll go around everything.
Thursday, Friday - wait for the guests.
Saturday - and news.

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday too.(Sunday, Monday, Tuesday too)
Wednesday, Thursday just for you.(Wednesday, Thursday just for you)
Friday, Saturday that's the end.(Friday, Saturday is the end of the week)
Now let's say those days again!(Now let's repeat these days!)

To remember the word “week” in English, a couplet will help:

I'm used to the names
Week in English - week.

Learning the days of the week in English is not difficult, you will succeed! And do not put it off until tomorrow, start right today, no matter what day is on the calendar: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday. Good luck!

If you are looking for an answer to the question: how to pronounce the days of the week in English, then remember that the pronunciation of the days of the week in American English is different from British pronunciation. In our schools, they still teach all the endings of the days of the week to shorten and speak in the British manner: Mandi, Tusdi, Wensdi, etc. You can see the same transcription in the Yandex translator [ˈmʌndɪ].

The British themselves have already switched to pronunciation in modern English and pronounce the full day = day - listen to the two audios below.

But first, little rules

1. The days of the week in English are always capitalized.
2. The emphasis never falls on the word day.
3. If we need to say: “On Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, etc., we use the preposition - On - before the day of the week. Example: on Tuesday at 17.00 - on Tuesday at 17.00. See the rest of the examples at the end of the article.

So, translation and transcription of the days of the week

• Monday - Monday [ˈmʌn dei]
• Tuesday - Tuesday [ˈtju z dei]
• Wednesday - Wednesday [ˈwenz dei]
• Thursday - Thursday [ˈθɜ ɹ z dei]
• Friday - Friday [ˈfɹaɪ dei]
• Saturday - Saturday [ˈsædəɹ, dei]
• Sunday - Sunday [ˈsʌn dei]

Verse in English Sunday, Monday, Fesday, Today

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday too;
Wednesday, Thursday just for you.

Friday, Saturday that's the end;
Now let's say those days again!

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday, Friday, Saturday!

American pronunciation of the days of the week - audio

British pronunciation of the days of the week - audio

The main differences between British and American pronunciation of the days of the week:

1. Tusday - British pronounce: Tuesday, Americans - Tuesday.
2. Thursday - the British do not pronounce the letter r = [ˈθɜ z dei], the Americans - [ˈθɜ ɹ z dei].
3. Saturday - the British pronounce t = satadey, the Americans pronounce this letter as d - sadderday.

Questions about days of the week

What day is today? What day is today?
It's Monday. Monday.

What day was yesterday? What day was yesterday?
It was Sunday. Yesterday was Sunday.

What day is tomorrow? What day will tomorrow be?
It's Tuesday. Tomorrow is Tuesday.

You can also say:

What day will be tomorrow? What day will tomorrow be.
It will be Tuesday.
But this form is less common in colloquial speech.

When is our date?
Friday.
When do we have a meeting?
On Friday.

Which days do we have an English class?
On Mondays.
What days do we have English lessons?
On Mondays.

When is my homework due?
Wednesday.
When / by what day should I do my homework?
Medium.

This lesson is devoted to the study of the names of the days of the week and their use in English. The questions of their origin and various methods of memorization will also be considered.

In English-speaking countries, as in the vast majority of countries in the world, seven day week:

The names of the days in the table are not specially numbered, because in England, the USA, Canada and many other countries, the first day of the week is not Monday, as we used to think, but Sunday. That is, the week starts with a weekend and ends with the same weekend. At the same time, Monday-Friday are working days (workday ["wə: kdei] or weekday ["wi: kdei] ).

Example from the calendar:

Another one distinguishing feature- this is that the names of the days of the week in English refer to proper names and therefore are always written with a capital letter. Even in the case of the abbreviated form. (BTW, the same rule applies to )

Speaking of abbreviated form, as you can see in the example, English simply takes the first two letters of a word. Unlike the Russian language, where the abbreviated names of the days of the week are written in the form of two consonants. Less commonly, English uses the first letter of a word (only in calendars) or three-letter abbreviations - Mon., Tue., Wed. (as part of a date or in text). Examples:

Usage examples:

• I like Saturday - I love Saturday
• we will celebrate Christmas on Thursday - we will celebrate Christmas on Thursday
• closed on Sundays - closed on Sundays

How to remember English days of the week?

Option one(most illogical):
Assign numbers to days. Monday - mono - single - first; Tuesday - two - two - second; Friday - five - fifth; Saturday - six - sixth; Sunday - seven - seventh.
Why not logical? By the fact that Monday is not the first day of the week, but the second, Tuesday the third, etc. In addition, it is difficult to choose something for Wednesday and Thursday.

Option two(analogues):

Option three:

Sometimes it's easier to remember foreign word knowing its origin and history. There are several versions of the origin of the names of the days of the week. The most plausible and supported by official science is the version of the formation of the names of the days from the names of the planets.

Since ancient times, people have watched the movement celestial bodies and measured the passage of time by their position in the sky. So one of the main time units was the lunar month, i.e. the period from one full moon to another ~ 29 days. This period includes four distinct lunar phases s, each lasting approximately 7 days. It is believed that it was from the lunar phase that the 7-day week to which we are accustomed occurred.

In those days, 7 planets were known to people. And since our ancestors were pagans and each of the cultures had its own pantheon, these planets (which later became the days of the week) got their names from the names of the most revered gods. English culture for a long time influenced by the Romans adopted a large part of European traditions and beliefs. Later, Scandinavian motifs were added to them, which came to the British Isles along with the Vikings. As a result, the following names were formed in English:

If you are interested in the history of the origin of these names, then Wikipedia has an interesting article on this subject - http://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Week-day_names . Unfortunately, it has not been translated into Russian, but it will be more useful to read it.

Sunday - Sunday. The name of this day of the week comes from latin expression dies solis - sunny day (the name of a pagan Roman holiday). He was also called Latin name Dominica - God's day. Romance languages(Spanish, French, Italian), which originated from Old Latin, retained this root (dom-) in the name of a given day of the week.

Monday - Monday. The name of this day of the week in English comes from the Anglo-Saxon word monandaeg - "lunar day". The second day of the week was dedicated to the goddess of the moon.

Tuesday - Tuesday. This day of the week in English was named after the Norse god Tyr. The Romans named this day after Mars, the god of war.

Wednesday - Wednesday. The origin of the name of this day of the week refers to the Roman Empire, original name- dies Mercurii in honor of the god Mercury (Mercury).

Thursday - Thursday. The next day of the week is Thursday, and it is named after the Norse god Thor. In Norwegian, this day of the week is called Torsdag. The Romans called this day of the week - dies Jovis - the "Day of Jupiter", the most important god in their mythology.

Friday - Friday. The penultimate day of the week in English is Friday. This day of the week was named after the Norwegian queen Frigg. The Romans dedicated this name to the goddess Venus.

Saturday - Saturday. The name of this day of the week glorified the god of ancient Roman mythology, Saturn.

Modern English has seven days of the week. The days of the week in English are always capitalized, regardless of their position in the sentence. It is worth noting that in England, the USA, Canada and many other countries, the days of the week begin on Sunday.

Friends, you have no idea how interesting the topic is about the days of the week in English! Do you know how Monday is connected with the moon and Greek goddess Selena? Why is Friday the day of Venus? In this article, we will tell you about how the days of the week in English got their names. And also how they are related to the pantheon. For those who are in the process of learning a language, we have prepared English days of the week with translation and some tips on how to remember them. And for you, connoisseurs of English, a reminder with what prepositions and in combination with what words the days of the week are used.

The history of the names of the days of the week in English

The familiar names for us her weeks in English originated from the astronomical names of the plano, which in turn are from the Norse and Roman gods. The question arises: "Why so?"

Even in Babylon, and this, for a moment, in the third millennium BC, scientists associated changes in the time of day, and, accordingly, days, with the phases of the moon. The initial time unit was the lunar month, that is, 29 days (counting from one full moon to the next). During this period, the moon goes through four distinct phases: new moon, first quarter, full moon and last quarter. Each of them lasts 7 days. And so it happened that our seven-day week came precisely from the lunar phases. And even then, astronomers knew about the existence of seven planets, which they named after revered gods.

We turn to the most interesting: deciphering the names and writing. So…

How to write the days of the week in English and their abbreviations in English

• Monday[‘mʌndei], abbr. Mon. Moon day is the day of the Moon, associated with the goddesses of the night: the Greek Selene and the Roman Moon.
• Tuesday[‘tju:zdei], abbr. Tue. The day is named after Tiw, the Scandinavian god of war and the sky, ruled by the planet Mars.
• Wednesday - Wednesday[‘wenzdei], abbr. Wed. Woden's day - the day of Odin (the Scandinavian god of war and victory). The day is ruled by the planet Mercury.
• Thursday – Thursday[ˈθɜːzdei], abbr. Thu. Named after Thor, the Scandinavian god of thunder and lightning. Jupiter rules the day.
• Friday - Friday[‘fraidei], abbr. Fri. A wonderful and beloved day of the week, which is associated with the planet Venus and the Anglo-Saxon goddess of love, Freyja.
• Saturday[‘sætədei], abbr. sat. This is the day of Saturn (planet) (Saturn) and, accordingly, the ancient Roman god Saturn and the Greek Kronos (Kronos) - the gods of sowing, agriculture and harvest.
• Sunday - Sunday[‘sʌndei], abbr. Sun. Day of the Sun, identified with the gods of the sun: the Greek Helios (Helios) and the Roman Sol (Sol).

By the way, you know that in most of the United States, in Japan and Canada, the first calendar day of the week is Sunday. But in most countries in Europe, in parts of Asia and in some other countries, Monday is considered the first day.

Days of the week in English: use it correctly

Remember: no matter where in the sentence the name of the day of the week is located - at the beginning, in the middle or at the end - it is capitalized. This is, in fact, proper names gods.

For example:

• On Monday my brother plays football.
• I was there last Saturday and saw him.
• We have English classes on Wednesday.

Have you noticed that the preposition is used with the days of the week on?!

But speaking of the past or the future, as well as using words all, any, each, every, next, last, one, this the days of the week in English do not require the delivery of a preposition.

For example: next Friday, this Sunday etc.

And here's a suggestion in used only with parts of the day: in the morning - in the morning, in the afternoon - in the afternoon, in the evening - in the evening, but at night - at night.

How to remember English days of the week?

There are many ways to learn the days of the week in English.

Poem or song about the days of the week

The first is to remember the simplest rhyme. You can sing it too.)

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday too.

Thursday, Friday just for you.

Saturday, Sunday that's the end.

Now let's say those days again!

The second option is fine creative people: writing a poem about the days of the week on your own. Or, in the end, a story about how each day goes by.

On Mondays I go to the gym.

On Tuesdays I go to the market.

On Wednesdays I go to play tennis.

On Thursdays I go to Native English School.

On Fridays I meet with my friends.

On Saturdays I go shopping

On Sundays I clean my apartment.

Also try to memorize established expressions.

Idioms with days of the week in English

Monday feeling- a feeling of unwillingness to work;

From here to next Tuesday- means "very long";

Wednesday girl- an inconspicuous girl, a "gray mouse";

Thursday drunk- “drunk Thursday” (when, without waiting for Friday, you begin to “celebrate” the end of the week on Thursday)

Black Friday- "Black" Friday: 1) the day when financial or other failures occur, 2) the day of incredible sales;

Saturday night special- heavily discounted product - cheap, price on Saturday sale;

A month of Sundays- for a very long time.

Now you know how the days of the week are written in English and how they are used. Repeat, memorize, practice their pronunciation and use more often! Our methodology will allow you to remember a lot of useful and interesting information and get the necessary knowledge. Come to English classes at Native English School - best school with native speakers in Kyiv!