Sounds of the days of the week in English. Name of the days of the week in English
Friends, you can’t even imagine how interesting the topic about the days of the week is on 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 how the days of the week in English got their names. And also how they are connected to the pantheon. For those who are in the process of learning a language, we have prepared English days weeks with translation and some tips on how to remember them. And for you, English experts, a reminder of what prepositions and in combination with what words the days of the week are used.
History of the names of the days of the week in English
The names we are used to her weeks in English come from the astronomical names of the planesno, which in turn are from the Old Norse and Roman gods. The question arises: “Why is this so?”
Back in Babylon, and this is, 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 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 originated precisely from the lunar phases. And even then, astronomers knew about the existence of seven planets, which they named in honor of the revered gods.
Let's move on to the most interesting part: deciphering the names and writing them. So…
How to write days of the week in English and their abbreviations in English
- Monday – 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 – 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 is 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. The day is ruled by Jupiter.
- 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 – Saturday[‘sætədei], abbr. Sat. This is the day of Saturn (the planet) and, accordingly, ancient roman god Saturn and the Greek Kronos - gods of sowing, agriculture and harvest.
- Sunday – Sunday[‘sʌndei], abbr. Sun. The Day of the Sun is identified with the sun gods: the Greek Helios and the Roman Sol.
By the way, you know that in most of the United States, Japan and Canada, the first calendar day of the week is Sunday. But in most countries in Europe, in part of Asia and in some other countries, Monday is considered the first day.
Days of the week in English: use correctly
Remember: regardless of which part of the sentence the name of the day of the week is in - at the beginning, in the middle or at the end - it is written with a capital letter. 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 when talking about the past or future, or using words all, any, each, every, next, last, one, this days of the week in English do not require a preposition.
For example: next Friday, this Sunday etc.
Here's an excuse 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?
In English, you can learn the days of the week in different ways.
Poem or song about the days of the week
The first is to memorize the simplest poem. You can hum 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 will do creative people: writing a poem about the days of the week yourself. Or, in the end, a story about how each day goes.
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 remember established expressions.
Idioms with days of the week in English
Monday feeling– a feeling expressing reluctance to work;
From here till next Tuesday– means “very long”;
Wednesday girl– an inconspicuous girl, a “gray mouse”;
Thursday drunk– “drunk Thursday” (when, without waiting for Friday, you start “celebrating” the end of the week on Thursday)
Black Friday– “Black” Friday: 1) a day when financial or other failures occur, 2) a day of incredible sales;
Saturday night special– heavily discounted product – cheap, Saturday sale price;
A month of Sundays– a very long time.
Now you know how the days of the week are written and used in English. Repeat, memorize, practice their pronunciation and use more often! Our methodology will allow you to remember a lot of useful and interesting information and gain the necessary knowledge. Come to English lessons at Native English School – the best school with native speakers in Kyiv!
The first thing they teach in the courses foreign language, is the ability to tell about yourself. And for beginners it is not a problem to come up with a banal sentence: “ My name is Kolya, I am learning English" Difficulties arise with the use of more common expressions, where in addition to what you are doing, you also need to indicate when, where or with whom. And today, having learned the days of the week in English with pronunciation, we will learn to use them as a simple addition and as independent proposals, indicating the date.
Words that name the days of the week in English belong to the everyday vocabulary of the language, because the need to designate a specific day arises quite often. Before moving on to learning the words themselves, let’s note a few interesting and important cases of their use in the English-speaking environment.
- All countries use the traditional seven-day week system, but countries such as Canada, the United States and Israel count the new week from Sunday. At the same time, workdays still begin on Monday and end on Friday. This point is important to consider if you are planning to visit a country with a similar calendar.
- The designation of a specific date begins with the day of the week: Friday, August 18, 2017. By the way, abbreviations are not made exactly as in Russian. In order to shorten the name of the day, simply take the first two or three letters of the word: Mo./Mon., Su./Sun., We./Wed, etc. In some calendars, the day of the week is even designated by the first letter.
- Grammatically, English days of the week are proper names and are always written with capital letters. This rule also applies to abbreviated forms.
Remember these features, as they are important for developing competent English speech. Now let’s find out how to pronounce the names of the days correctly.
Days of the week in English with pronunciation, transcription and Russian translation
In order to make it easier to learn the names, we will analyze each word separately and using the example of everyday situations. To practice correct pronunciation, use the transcription provided.
Common names
You can designate all the days of the week at once using a phrasal construction daysoftheweek/deɪz əv ðə wiːk/. Saturday and Sunday also have a general meaning; they can be called weekend/wiːkɛnd/.
Monday
First day working week, aka Monday, will sound in English Monday. Since the English language is rapidly developing, today, along with the traditional transcription /mʌndeɪ/, the pronunciation /mʌndi/ is increasingly used.
Tuesday
Tuesday is indicated by the word Tuesday. The name is pronounced /tjuːzdeɪ/ or /tjuːzdi/. Be careful, it is often confused with something similar in spelling Thursday, which denotes Thursday!
Wednesday
Wednesday– that’s what Wednesday is called in English. It has two transcriptions, like the words that were pronounced above: /wenzdeɪ/ or /wenzdi/.
Thursday
So we have come to studying the word Thursday, which was mentioned when introducing Tuesday. To never confuse them, you need to reliably remember the correct spelling and sound of each word. So, in English this day of the week is written Thursday and is pronounced /θə:zdeɪ/, or /θə:zdi/.
Friday
The last day of the working week in Russian is Friday, and in English Friday. The word has the same types of transcriptions that we studied when introducing other days: /fraideɪ/ and /fraidi/.
Saturday
Sabbath in English is called Saturday, and has the transcription /sætədeɪ/ and /sætədi/.
Sunday
Last day off, i.e. Sunday, in English called Sunday. Let's learn his pronunciation: /sΛndei/, /sΛndi/.
So, we learned how the days of the week are indicated in English, got acquainted with their pronunciation, translation and application in practice. All that remains is to learn how to easily and quickly memorize the vocabulary of the lesson.
Learn the days of the week in 5 minutes
In order to quickly master the material or explain it in an accessible form to the child, we will resort to the method of associations. All days of the week can be compared with already familiar words that will be consonant with their pronunciation. Or choose a musical tune and sing the names of the days of the week to the children.
Associations and consonances
| Phrase | Pronunciation | Translation |
| Monday is a moon's day. | /Monday from Moon's Day/ | Monday is a lunar day. |
| Tuesday is a two’s day. | /Tuesday from ace day/ | Tuesday is a day for two. |
| Wednesday is a wedding’s day. | /Wednesday from Wedding Day/ | Wednesday is the wedding day. |
| Thursday is my birthday. | /Tuesday from May Day/ | Thursday is my birthday. |
| Friday is a fly-day. | /Friday from e fly day/ | Friday is flight day. |
| On Saturday I sleep all day. | /On Saturday I slip ol day/ | On Saturday I sleep all day long. |
| Sunday is a sunny day. | /Sunday from e sunny day/ | Sunday is a sunny day. |
Song to learn
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!
Days of the week in English are one of the first important topics that entry-level students study. In addition to the daily need to use the days of the week in English, these names can be found in stories, anecdotes, fairy tales, films, cartoons, poems and songs. The material presented in the article helps to better remember the days of the week in English and practice correct pronunciation.
Days of the week in English:
Sunday[‘sʌndeɪ], [-dɪ] Sunday
Monday[‘mʌndeɪˌ ‘mʌndɪ] Monday
Tuesday[‘t(j)uːzdɪ ], [‘ʧuː-] Tuesday
Wednesday[‘wenzdeɪ] Wednesday
Thursday[‘θɜːzdeɪ] Thursday
Friday[‘fraɪdeɪ], [-dɪ] Friday
Saturday[‘sætədeɪ] [ʹsætədı] Saturday
How to remember the days of the week in English?
1. Get to know the history and origin of the days of the week - the names of the days of the week are derived from the names of the planets.
2. Learn this song:
3. Install the menu in English on your phone. Thus, when taking notes or looking at a calendar, you will involuntarily notice abbreviations of the days of the week or their full names.
4. Write short story about what you usually do on Monday, Tuesday, etc. Find something special. For example: On Monday I go to the gym.
Important!
1. Sunday is considered the first day of the week in countries such as England, Canada, the USA and others. At the same time Monday - Friday- these are working days ( workday [‘wɜːkdeɪ] weekday; working day or weekday [‘wiːkdeɪ] weekday), Saturday and Sunday - weekend [ˌwiːk’end] days off, weekend.
2. Days of the week in English are used with a preposition on:
on Sunday- on Sunday
on Monday- on Monday
on Tuesday- on Tuesday
on Wednesday- on Wednesday
on Thursday- on Thursday
on Friday- on Friday
on Saturday- on Saturday
at the weekend — on weekends
3. Days of the week in English are always written with a capital letter, since they refer to proper names
Days of the week in English. Short form.
Sunday - Su - Sun
Monday - M, Mo, Mon
Tuesday - Tu, Tue, Tues
Wednesday - We - Wed
Thursday—Th -Thu
Friday - F, Fr, Fri.
Saturday - Sa - Sat
Days of the week in English. Useful phrases.
1. when two Sundays come / meet together - after the rain on Thursday, never (“when two Sundays meet”)
2. Black Monday- first day of classes after the holidays
3. to come every Tuesday- come every Tuesday
4. Holy/Spy Wednesday- Holy Wednesday (during Holy Week)
5. Holy Thursday — Holy Thursday, Maundy Thursday (during Holy Week)
6. girl Friday[͵gə:lʹfraıdı] secretary, office worker who helps the boss
she’s his girl Friday - she is his right hand
7. by Saturday- by Saturday
From this collection you will learn what the seasons, days of the week and months are called in English. Please note that the site has a separate article on, in which the topic is discussed in more depth: expressions with days of the week are also given.
| Seasons | ||
|---|---|---|
| season | [ˈsiːzn] | time of year |
| winter | [ˈwɪntə] | winter |
| spring | spring | |
| summer | [ˈsʌmə] | summer |
| fall (Am.) autumn (Br.) | [ˈɔːtəm] | autumn |
| Months in English – Months of the Year | ||
| January | [ˈʤænjʊəri] | January |
| February | [ˈfɛbrʊəri] | February |
| March | March | |
| April | [ˈeɪprəl] | April |
| May | May | |
| June | [ʤuːn] | June |
| July | [ʤuˈlaɪ] | July |
| August | [ˈɔːgəst] | August |
| September | September | |
| October | [ɒkˈtəʊbə] | October |
| November | november | |
| December | December | |
| Days of the Week | ||
| Monday | [ˈmʌndeɪ] | Monday |
| Tuesday | [ˈtjuːzdeɪ] | Tuesday |
| Wednesday | [ˈwɛnzdeɪ] | Wednesday |
| Thursday | [ˈθɜːzdeɪ] | Thursday |
| Friday | [ˈfraɪdeɪ] | Friday |
| Saturday | [ˈsætədeɪ] | Saturday |
| Sunday | [ˈsʌndeɪ] | Sunday |
Abbreviated names of months in English
In writing, the names of months, like days of the week, are usually abbreviated to three letters. Only May, June, July are not abbreviated. September is shortened to four letters: Sept. Please note that the days of the week and months in English are written with a capital letter, and the names of the seasons are written with a lowercase letter.
Clarification by seasons and seasons
1. Word season can mean not only “time of year” (summer, winter, spring, autumn), but also “season” as a part of the year suitable for some activity or work:
- Spring is my favorite season. – Spring is my favorite time of year.
- Tomorrow is the opening day of the duck hunting season. – Opening tomorrow season duck hunting.
2. In some tropical countries, for example, in Singapore, there are only two seasons (times of year):
- Raining season - rainy season.
- Dry season – dry season.
3. Seasons, except autumn, can also be named with the addition of the root time:
- winter - wintertime.
- spring - springtime.
- summer - summertime.
These words are translated into Russian either in the same way as the original ones (spring, summer, winter), or: springtime, summer time, winter time.
Autumn – Autumn or Fall?
Word fall(autumn) used in the US, spoken and written in the UK autumn.
By the way, when talking about the seasons, especially if it is a school assignment, the phrase “ favorite time year” – it has differences between American and British spelling: favou rite season (Br.) – favorite season (USA).
- Fall is my favorite season. – Autumn is my favorite time of year. (USA)
- Autumn is my favou rite season. – Autumn is my favorite time of year. (Br.)
It is noteworthy that the word fall did not originate in America, but is precisely the original term for designating the season, which arose in England no later than the 16th century. It was originally short for fall of the year(fall of the year) or fall of the leaf(leaf fall) , but by the 17th century it had become established as a single word, long before the development of American English. Therefore, although the word is used primarily in America, it is neither exclusively American nor even a word of American origin.
Word autumn came to English from French automne in the 15th or 16th century, but only became common in the 18th century.
In Canada, as in the USA, they mainly use fall and in Australia - autumn.
Different meanings of the word Fall
Word fall has two main meanings: 1) autumn, 2) fall. Because of this, puns with “autumn-fall” are sometimes used.
Photo from http://www.imdb.com
For example, in the title of the American film “Legends of the Fall,” some viewers and critics saw ambiguity. On the one hand, the title can be understood as “Legends of Autumn”, on the other hand as “Legends of the Fall”, because the film tells the story of a family with a very difficult fate.
The name is treated in a similar way computer game Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne - this can be either “The Fall of Max Payne” or “The Autumn of Max Payne”. Both options fit well with the plot and style of the game.
This lesson is devoted to learning the names of the days of the week and their use in English. Questions of their origin and various memorization techniques will also be considered.
IN English speaking countries, like the vast majority of countries in the world, uses a seven-day week:
| English week | |||
| Monday | ["mΛndei] | Monday | |
| Tuesday | ["tju:zdi] | Tuesday | |
| Wednesday | ["wenzdei] | Wednesday | |
| Thursday | ["θə:zdei] | Thursday | |
| Friday | ["fraidei] | Friday | |
| Saturday | ["sætədei] | Saturday | |
| Sunday | ["sΛndei] | Sunday | |
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 begins with a day off and ends with the same day off. Moreover, Monday-Friday are working days (workday ["wə:kdei] or weekday ["wi:kdei]).
Example from the calendar:
One more distinctive 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 an abbreviated form. (BTW, the same rule applies for)
Speaking of the abbreviated form, as you can see in the example, in English the first two letters of the word are simply taken. Unlike the Russian language, where the abbreviated names of the days of the week are written as two consonant letters. Less often in English, one first letter of a word is used (only in calendars) or three-letter abbreviations - Mon., Tue., Wed. (as part of a date or in text). Examples:
Examples of use:
- 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(the 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? Because Monday is not the first day of the week, but the second, Tuesday the third, etc. In addition, it is difficult to find something for Wednesday and Thursday.
Option two(analogies):
Option three:
Sometimes it's easier to remember foreign word, knowing its origins 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 days from the names of planets.
Since ancient times, people have observed 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 is ~ 29 days. This period includes four distinct lunar phases, each lasting approximately 7 days. It is believed that it is from lunar phase and that 7-day week to which we are accustomed occurred.
In those days, people knew 7 planets. And since our ancestors were pagans and each culture had its own pantheon, these planets (which later became the days of the week) received their names from the names of the most revered gods. English culture for a long time under the influence of the Romans, it adopted a considerable part of European traditions and beliefs. Later, Scandinavian motifs were added to them, which came to 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 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 all the more useful to read it.