this week(the current week)
next week(the week after now)
last week(the week before now)
English Articles
Days of the week in English: What are they and how to use them?
By: Erin Kuester, Isabel McKay Thu Sep 12 2024
EnglishGrammar Tips
In English, the days of the week are:
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
In this article, we’ll talk a bit more about the week in the English-language calendar, where the days of the week come from, and how to talk about the day of the week in conversation. Let’s take a look!
Table of Contents
What is a week in English-speaking countries?
In English-speaking countries, a week is 7 days: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.
# | Day | Type of day |
|---|---|---|
1 | Sunday | weekend (no work, no school) |
2 | Monday | week day (work and school) |
3 | Tuesday | |
4 | Wednesday | |
5 | Thursday | |
6 | Friday | |
7 | Saturday | weekend (no work, no school) |
What is the origin of the days of the week in English?
The days of the week in English are named after Old English gods, Roman gods, or celestial bodies. Have a look!
Day | Meaning | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
Sunday | Day of the sun | - |
Monday | Day of the moon | - |
Tuesday | Day of Tiw | Tiw was an Old English god of war and justice. You may recognize his Norse name: “Tyr.” |
Wednesday | Day of Woden | Woden was the Old English father god. You may recognize his Norse name: “Odin.” |
Thursday | Day of Thunr | Thunr was the Old English god of storms. You may recognize his Norse name: “Thor.” |
Friday | Day of Friggu | Friggu was the Old English goddess of love. You may recognize her Norse name: “Frigg.” |
Saturday | Day of Saturn | Named after the planet Saturn, which is named for the Roman god of time, "Saturnus." |
How to use the days of the week in English sentences?
In English, the days of the week are proper nouns in English which means they are always capitalized.
✅ My sister graduates on Saturday.
❌ My sister graduates on saturday.
However, unlike some proper names like Paris or Instagram, the days of the week can sometimes be plural and will take determiners like articles (the, a/an) or demonstrative adjectives (this, that, ...) more often than most proper names. This is because every month has many days that have the same name.
This Friday is my birthday.
→ with a demonstrative adjectiveI go to the gym on Fridays.
→ plural
You’ll see some cases where you’ll need to do this described below.
In this section we’ll talk about how to use the days of the week in three cases:
To talk about a day of the week in the future
To talk about a day of the week in the past
To talk about an event that repeats on the same day
TipTalking about weeks in English:
As you’ll see, things can get a little complicated! If you’re ever uncertain, you can give the full date. Have a look at our post on how to say the date in English to learn more about this!
How to talk about an event on a day of the week in the future?
In English you can use the following phrases to talk about days of the week in the future:
on / this + day of the week
next / this coming + day of the week
Tip
In some British dialects you may hear day of the week + next.
not this + day of the week + but next + day of the week
(on) the + day of the week + after next
Let’s look at an example!
Sarah has a math test soon (at the bottom of the chart). The chart below shows how you can answer the question When is Sarah's math test? using a day of the week. The answer will change depending on when you ask the question:
When are you asking? | When is Sarah's math test? | Rule | |
|---|---|---|---|
Day of the week | # days before test | ||
(any) | 15+ | [Say the full date] | The event is > 14 days in the future |
Thursday | 14 | Her math test is (on) the Thursday after next. | The event is < 14 days in the future, but it is not next week. |
Friday | 13 | ||
Saturday | 12 | ||
Sunday | 11 | Her math test is not this Thursday but next Thursday. | The event is > 7 days in the future, but it is next week. |
Monday | 10 | ||
Tuesday | 9 | ||
Wednesday | 8 | ||
Thursday | 7 |
| The event is < 7 days in the future, but is not during the current week. |
Friday | 6 | ||
Saturday | 5 | ||
Sunday | 4 |
| The event is during the current week. |
Monday | 3 | ||
Tuesday | 2 | ||
Wednesday | 1 | ||
Thursday | 0 | Her math test is (later) today. | THE EVENT!! |
Some other useful phrases for talking about future days:
tomorrow(the day after today)
the day after tomorrow(not tomorrow, but the next day)
a week from + day(thay day + 7 days)
two weeks from + day(that day + 14 days)
Tip
Native speakers will sometimes break these rules if the context makes the week that we are discussing clear. For example, if the test is 8 days away and today is Wednesday you might hear a conversation like this:
Speaker A:
Ugh. I have a test on Thursday.
Speaker B:
Tomorrow?
Speaker A:
No, not tomorrow. This coming Thursday.
→ Usually we do not use this coming for a day that is more than 7 days in the future, but here the context makes it clear.
If you’re ever confused, don’t hesitate to ask someone for the exact date!
How to talk about an event on a day of the week in the past?
In English, you can use the following phrases to talk about a day of the week in the past:
on + day of the week
this past + day of the week
last + day of the week
not this + day of the week + but the one before
(on) the + day of the week + before last
Let’s look at an example!
Now Sarah’s math test is over! How should we talk about it after it happened?
When are you asking? | When was Sarah's math test? | |
|---|---|---|
Day of the week | # days after test | |
Thursday | 0 | Her math test was (earlier) today. |
Friday | 1 |
|
Saturday | 2 | |
Sunday | 3 | |
Monday | 4 |
|
Tuesday | 5 | |
Wednesday | 6 | |
Thursday | 7 | |
Friday | 8 | not this past Thursday but the one before. |
Saturday | 9 | |
Sunday | 10 | |
Monday | 11 | Her math test was (on) the Thursday before last. |
Tuesday | 12 | |
Wednesday | 13 | |
Thursday | 14 | |
(any) | 15+ | [Give the full date] |
Some other useful phrases for talking about past days:
yesterday(the day before today)
the day before yesterday(not yesterday, but the previous day)
Tip
Just like we saw above, native speakers are flexible about these rules when the context makes the week you are discussing clear. For example, if it is Friday, 8 days after the test, you might hear:
Speaker A:
Ooh! She’s passing back the tests from Thursday!
Speaker B:
Did we have a test yesterday?
Speaker A:
No, the tests from last Thursday.
→ Usually last is not used if it has been more than 7 days, but here the context makes it clear.
Again, if you’re ever confused, don’t hesitate to ask someone for the exact date!
How to talk about an event that repeats on the same day of the week?
To talk about an event that repeats on the same day of the week, use one of the options below:
on + plural day of the week
We go to trivia on Thursdays.
In the summer, the movie theater plays outdoor movies on Saturdays.
every + singular day of the week
We go to trivia every Thursday.
The movie theater plays outdoor movies every Saturday in the summer.
You can also use other English quantifying adjectives like most, each, or many before a day of the week to change the meaning a bit:
We go to trivia most Thursdays.
We go to trivia each Thursday.
We go to trivia many Thursdays.
Just use the form of the noun (singular or plural) that would usually follow the quantity adjective.
Summary
In this post, we’ve given you a brief introduction to the days of the week and how to use them in English! We saw:
The days of the week are Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
Days of the week are always capitalized in English.
To talk about a future day, use one of these phrases:
on / this + day of the week
next / this coming + day of the week
not this + day of the week + but next + day of the week
(on) the + day of the week + after next
To talk about a past day, use one of these phrases:
on + day of the week
this past + day of the week
last + day of the week
not this + day of the week + but the one before
(on) the + day of the week + before last
To talk about an action that repeats on the same day use:
on + plural day of the week
every + singular day of the week
quantity adjective + singular day of the week
Now, if you feel ready try out our days of the week activities! Or keep on learning with our article on how to say the date in English!
