Greek2Me staff · Vocab
Greek Days of the Week
Every Greek day of the week, plus yesterday, today, and tomorrow, with a phonetic pronunciation you can read at a glance. Tap any row to hear it spoken, or print the whole table for the fridge.
| Greek | English | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekdays | |||
| Δευτέρα | Mondayliterally 'the second' | ||
| Τρίτη | Tuesdayliterally 'the third' | ||
| Τετάρτη | Wednesdayliterally 'the fourth' | ||
| Πέμπτη | Thursdayliterally 'the fifth' | ||
| Παρασκευή | Fridayliterally 'preparation' | ||
| Weekend | |||
| Σάββατο | Saturdayshares a root with 'Sabbath' | ||
| Κυριακή | Sundayliterally 'the Lord's day' | ||
| Yesterday, today, tomorrow | |||
| χθες | yesterday | ||
| σήμερα | today | ||
| αύριο | tomorrow | ||
Four days are literally numbers
Greek names four of the weekdays after their position, starting from Sunday as day one:
- Δευτέρα (deftéra), Monday, the second day
- Τρίτη (tríti), Tuesday, the third
- Τετάρτη (tetárti), Wednesday, the fourth
- Πέμπτη (pémpti), Thursday, the fifth
Once you know δεύτερος, τρίτος, τέταρτος, πέμπτος (second, third, fourth, fifth), you get four days of the week thrown in. This is one of the friendliest patterns in the language.
The other three have their own stories
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday break the number pattern and each carries a bit of history:
- Παρασκευή (paraskeví), Friday, means 'preparation', originally the day of preparing for the Sabbath.
- Σάββατο (sávato), Saturday, shares a root with the Hebrew 'Shabbat' and the English 'Sabbath'.
- Κυριακή (kiriakí), Sunday, means 'the Lord's day', from Κύριος (Lord).
For Fatima, who grew up saying Jumu'ah on Fridays, the shared linguistic thread through Παρασκευή was a surprise and stuck first time.
How to say 'on Monday' and 'every Monday'
Two small patterns cover most day-of-the-week sentences:
- την Δευτέρα, on Monday (a specific coming Monday)
- τις Δευτέρες, on Mondays (every Monday, plural)
So Ravi says έχω μάθημα την Τρίτη (I have a lesson on Tuesday) for this week, and έχω μάθημα τις Τρίτες (I have a lesson on Tuesdays) for a weekly thing. Same works for every day: την Παρασκευή, τις Παρασκευές.
Yesterday, today, tomorrow
The three time-anchor words you'll use constantly:
- χθες (hthes), yesterday
- σήμερα (símera), today
- αύριο (ávrio), tomorrow
A few example sentences:
- Σήμερα είναι Δευτέρα. Today is Monday.
- Αύριο θα δούμε. Tomorrow we'll see.
- Χθες ήταν Κυριακή. Yesterday was Sunday.
Also useful: προχθές (prohthés), the day before yesterday, and μεθαύριο (methávrio), the day after tomorrow.
Days of the week are always capitalised
Unlike months, colours, or nationalities, days of the week are always written with a capital first letter in Greek: Δευτέρα, Τρίτη, Σάββατο. This is a small but consistent rule, and you'll spot it on every Greek calendar, schedule, and diary. Months follow the same rule (Ιανουάριος, Φεβρουάριος), but nationalities and languages do not.
Frequently asked questions
What are the days of the week in Greek?+
Δευτέρα (Monday), Τρίτη (Tuesday), Τετάρτη (Wednesday), Πέμπτη (Thursday), Παρασκευή (Friday), Σάββατο (Saturday), Κυριακή (Sunday). Four of them (Monday to Thursday) are literally the ordinal numbers second, third, fourth, and fifth, counted from Sunday as day one.
Why does the Greek week start on Sunday but Monday is 'the second'?+
The naming reflects an older Christian counting where Sunday was the first day of the week. In modern practice, most Greeks treat Monday as the start of the working week, but the traditional names stayed. So Δευτέρα (Monday) still literally means 'the second day'.
How do you say today, yesterday, and tomorrow in Greek?+
Σήμερα (símera) is today, χθες (hthes) is yesterday, and αύριο (ávrio) is tomorrow. For the day before yesterday, use προχθές (prohthés), and for the day after tomorrow, μεθαύριο (methávrio).
Do Greek days of the week get capitalised?+
Yes, always. Δευτέρα, Τρίτη, Τετάρτη and the others are always written with a capital first letter, even in the middle of a sentence. The same rule applies to months (Ιανουάριος, Φεβρουάριος), but not to nationalities or languages.
How do you say 'on Friday' in Greek?+
Την Παρασκευή for a specific coming Friday, and τις Παρασκευές for 'on Fridays' as a recurring thing. The pattern works the same for every day: την Δευτέρα, τις Δευτέρες, την Τρίτη, τις Τρίτες, and so on.
Practise this in the app
Practise days of the week in the app
Short quizzes on days, drills on 'on Monday' vs 'on Mondays', and audio for every day name.
Start with A1 days and time