The days of the week in Portuguese are one of the first things every learner needs, yet they surprise most beginners because five of them end in the word feira. Whether you are planning a trip to Lisbon, chatting with friends in São Paulo, or scheduling a lesson, knowing these seven words unlocks calendars, appointments, and everyday small talk. In this guide you will learn each day, how to pronounce it, and how to use it naturally in real sentences.

We go deeper than a simple vocabulary list. You will get pronunciation for both European and Brazilian Portuguese, memory tricks, common mistakes, and practical examples you can use immediately. Let’s start speaking.

The Days of the Week in Portuguese at a Glance

Here is the full list. Notice that Portuguese counts the weekdays as “second,” “third,” “fourth,” and so on — a system unlike English, French, or Spanish.

In everyday speech, natives usually drop the word feira. So “See you Monday” becomes Até segunda, not the full Até segunda-feira. This shortcut alone will make you sound far more fluent.

Why Five of the Days of the Week in Portuguese End in “Feira”

This is the detail most guides skip. The feira ending comes from Church Latin. In the 6th century, Bishop Martin of Braga wanted to stop pagan names like “day of Mars” from being used during Holy Week.

He renamed the days after the liturgical feria (a day of rest and worship). The counting started on Sunday, so Monday became the “second day.” That numbering stuck, which is why segunda (second) is Monday, not Sunday.

Weekend days kept religious names instead of numbers. Sábado comes from the Hebrew Shabbat, and domingo comes from the Latin dies dominicus, “the Lord’s day.” You can read more about this history on the names of the days of the week reference page.

How to Pronounce the Days of the Week in Portuguese

Pronunciation shifts noticeably between Portugal and Brazil. The table below gives an approximate English-friendly guide for each variety.

The biggest difference is the vowels. European Portuguese reduces unstressed vowels, so segunda sounds clipped. Brazilian Portuguese keeps them open and musical. To hear native audio, check the entry for segunda-feira in the Priberam dictionary, a trusted Portuguese-language reference.

Using the Days in Real Portuguese Sentences

Vocabulary sticks when you use it in context. The key is the preposition. To say “on Monday,” Portuguese uses na or em, not a direct translation of “on.”

• Na segunda-feira eu trabalho. — On Monday I work.
• Vamos ao cinema no sábado. — We are going to the cinema on Saturday.
• Tenho aula de português às quintas. — I have Portuguese class on Thursdays.
• A reunião é na sexta-feira de manhã. — The meeting is on Friday morning.
• O que você faz aos domingos? — What do you do on Sundays?

Notice the pattern for habits: use às (feminine plural) with weekday feira days and aos with sábado and domingo. That small grammar point separates textbook learners from confident speakers.

Talking About the Weekend and Today

Two everyday extras help enormously. The weekend is o fim de semana in Portugal and o final de semana in Brazil. And to ask the date, say Que dia é hoje? (“What day is it today?”).

Memory Tricks for the Days of the Week in Portuguese

Because the weekdays are numbered, you only need to remember one anchor: segunda means “second” and lands on Monday. From there, just count up.

1. Count in Portuguese numbers: segunda (2), terça (3), quarta (4), quinta (5), sexta (6). The days mirror the numbers dois, três, quatro, cinco, seis.
2. Link the weekend to faith: Saturday = sábado (Sabbath), Sunday = domingo (the Lord’s day).
3. Drop “feira” out loud: practicing segunda, terça, quarta alone trains the natural spoken rhythm.
4. Label your calendar: rename phone reminders using the abbreviations seg, ter, qua for daily exposure.

One common mistake is forgetting that Portuguese weekdays are grammatically feminine (a segunda), while sábado and domingo are masculine (o sábado). Getting the article right makes your sentences sound polished.

Days of the Week in a Weekly Routine

Try describing your own week aloud. Building sentences around a real schedule is one of the fastest ways to memorize the days of the week in Portuguese for good.

Once these feel automatic, expand into months and telling time. For a natural next step, explore more beginner lessons on The Cognitio blog, where each guide builds on the last.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the seven days of the week in Portuguese?

They are segunda-feira (Monday), terça-feira (Tuesday), quarta-feira (Wednesday), quinta-feira (Thursday), sexta-feira (Friday), sábado (Saturday), and domingo (Sunday). Weekdays use numbers, while the weekend keeps religious names.

Why do the days of the week in Portuguese end in “feira”?

The ending comes from the Latin liturgical word feria, meaning a day of worship. A 6th-century bishop numbered the days from Sunday to replace pagan names, so Monday became the “second day,” segunda-feira.

Do Portuguese speakers really drop the word “feira”?

Yes. In casual conversation natives almost always shorten the weekdays, saying segunda, terça, or quinta. Using the full feira form is correct but sounds formal or written.

Are the days of the week capitalized in Portuguese?

No. Unlike English, Portuguese does not capitalize weekdays or months unless they start a sentence. So you write segunda-feira and domingo in lowercase within a sentence.

Start Speaking Confidently

You now know all seven days, their pronunciation, their history, and how to slot them into real conversation. The fastest way to make the days of the week in Portuguese stick is to practice with a native speaker who corrects you in real time. Book a Portuguese tutor with The Cognitio today and turn these words into fluent, everyday speech.