Days of the Week in Portuguese
Portuguese is the only major European language that numbers its weekdays: Monday through Friday are literally the “second” through “sixth” days (segunda- to sexta-feira). The naming goes back to the 6th-century bishop Martin of Braga, who refused to keep the pagan god names — and won, but only in Portuguese.
The Seven Days of the Week in Portuguese
| English | Portuguese | Pronunciation | Literal meaning | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | segunda-feira | seh-GOON-dah FAY-rah | second (market) day | seg. / 2ª |
| Tuesday | terça-feira | TEHR-sah FAY-rah | third (market) day | ter. / 3ª |
| Wednesday | quarta-feira | KWAR-tah FAY-rah | fourth (market) day | qua. / 4ª |
| Thursday | quinta-feira | KEEN-tah FAY-rah | fifth (market) day | qui. / 5ª |
| Friday | sexta-feira | SES-tah FAY-rah (BR) / SAYSH-tah (PT) | sixth (market) day | sex. / 6ª |
| Saturday | sábado | SAH-bah-doo | Sabbath day | sáb. |
| Sunday | domingo | doh-MEEN-goo | the Lord's day | dom. |
Click any day for a full guide with example sentences, cultural notes and FAQs.
How to Pronounce Portuguese Days of the Week
- In Brazilian Portuguese, final unstressed o sounds like “oo” (sábado ≈ “SAH-bah-doo”).
- The -eira ending sounds like “AY-rah”.
- European Portuguese swallows unstressed vowels more than Brazilian — both pronunciations are shown where they differ.
How to Use Days of the Week in Portuguese
Use na/no for “on”: na segunda-feira = on Monday. For “every Monday” use às segundas-feiras. In everyday speech the “-feira” is usually dropped: “segunda” is completely natural.
Portuguese weekday names are lowercase: segunda-feira, not Segunda-feira (except at the start of a sentence). In informal writing you'll often see the numeric shorthand instead — seg. / 2ª.
What Each Portuguese Day Name Means
Monday – segunda-feira
Literally “second feira”, from Latin feria (“rest day, market day”). The count starts with Sunday as the first day, so Monday is number two. Bishop Martin of Braga pushed these Christian numbered names in the 6th century to replace the pagan “Moon's day”.
Tuesday – terça-feira
Literally “third feira” — counting from Sunday. The ç (c-cedilla) sounds like s. Where Spanish kept Mars (martes), Portuguese went with the church's neutral number.
Wednesday – quarta-feira
Literally “fourth feira”, counting from Sunday as day one. Feria in Church Latin meant a weekday free of feasts; in Portuguese, feira also came to mean “street market” — which still sets up weekly in many neighborhoods.
Thursday – quinta-feira
Literally “fifth feira”. While English Thursday honors Thor and Spanish jueves honors Jupiter, Portuguese counts: Sunday (1), Monday (2), Tuesday (3), Wednesday (4), Thursday (5).
Friday – sexta-feira
Literally “sixth feira”. Venus's day in Spanish (viernes) and French (vendredi) became a simple number in Portuguese — though Sexta-feira Santa (Good Friday) keeps its full ceremony.
Saturday – sábado
From Latin sabbatum — the Hebrew Sabbath. The numbering stops at the weekend: Saturday and Sunday kept their ancient religious names even in Martin of Braga's reform.
Sunday – domingo
From Latin dies Dominicus, “the Lord's day” — and the anchor of the whole Portuguese system: domingo is day one, which is why Monday is segunda (second). Same word as Spanish domingo.
Cultural Notes
In daily speech everyone just says segunda: “Te vejo na segunda” (see you Monday). The week's numbered days make Portuguese instantly recognizable among Romance languages — Spanish lunes and Italian lunedì kept the Moon instead.
Brazil's Carnaval climaxes on terça-feira gorda (“Fat Tuesday”) — the same Mardi Gras the French named, renumbered the Portuguese way. In conversation it's simply terça.
Quarta-feira de Cinzas (Ash Wednesday) officially ends Carnaval in Brazil — the most famous quarta of the year. Mid-week football (“futebol de quarta”) is a Brazilian TV tradition.
Shortened to quinta in speech — not to be confused with uma quinta, which in Portugal means a farm or wine estate (as on Port wine labels: Quinta do Noval). Context makes it obvious.
“Sextou!” — roughly “It's Friday, let's go!” — is one of Brazil's favorite words, posted millions of times every sexta. The x in sexta sounds like s in Brazil and sh in Portugal.
Note the gender switch: it's no sábado (masculine), not na — the “-feira” days are feminine but sábado is masculine. Saturday is feijoada day in many Brazilian homes and restaurants.
Domingo means family lunch, beach and futebol — the Brasileirão's biggest matches kick off on Sunday afternoon. Like sábado, it's masculine: no domingo, aos domingos.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the days of the week in Portuguese?
The seven days of the week in Portuguese are: segunda-feira (Monday), terça-feira (Tuesday), quarta-feira (Wednesday), quinta-feira (Thursday), sexta-feira (Friday), sábado (Saturday), domingo (Sunday).
Are days of the week capitalized in Portuguese?
Portuguese weekday names are lowercase: segunda-feira, not Segunda-feira (except at the start of a sentence). In informal writing you'll often see the numeric shorthand instead — seg. / 2ª.
What day does the week start on in Portuguese-speaking countries?
The week starts on Monday in Brazil and Portugal — although the day names themselves count from Sunday as day one, a legacy of the church calendar.
How do you say “What day is it today?” in Portuguese?
“Que dia é hoje?” The answer: “Hoje é segunda-feira” (Today is Monday).
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