In this lesson, weโll explore the Greek days of the week, their meanings, pronunciation, and some fun facts!
The Days of the Week in Greek
| English | Greek | Pronunciation | Meaning/Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | ฮฮตฯ ฯฮญฯฮฑ | Deftรฉra | โThe secondโ (second day after Sunday) |
| Tuesday | ฮคฯฮฏฯฮท | Trรญti | โThe thirdโ |
| Wednesday | ฮคฮตฯฮฌฯฯฮท | Tetรกrti | โThe fourthโ |
| Thursday | ฮ ฮญฮผฯฯฮท | Pรฉmpti | โThe fifthโ |
| Friday | ฮ ฮฑฯฮฑฯฮบฮตฯ ฮฎ | Paraskevรญ | โPreparationโ (for the Sabbath) |
| Saturday | ฮฃฮฌฮฒฮฒฮฑฯฮฟ | Sรกvvato | Derived from Hebrew โSabbathโ |
| Sunday | ฮฯ ฯฮนฮฑฮบฮฎ | Kyriakรญ | โThe Lordโs dayโ (from Kyrios, meaning โLordโ) |
How to remember them more easily
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, andย Thursday follow a numerical pattern (second, third, fourth, fifth).
Friday (Paraskevรญ) means โpreparation,โ a reference to getting ready for the Sabbath in Christian and Jewish traditions.
Saturday (Sรกvvato) comes from the Hebrew Shabbat, just like in many other languages.
Sunday (Kyriakรญ) refers to the Christian tradition of dedicating the day to God.
Greek Days in Everyday Use
Now that you know the names, letโs see how you can use them in conversation:
โข ฮคฮน ฮผฮญฯฮฑ ฮตฮฏฮฝฮฑฮน ฯฮฎฮผฮตฯฮฑ; (Ti mรฉra รญne sรญmera?) โ What day is today?
โข ฮฃฮฎฮผฮตฯฮฑ ฮตฮฏฮฝฮฑฮน ฮฮตฯ ฯฮญฯฮฑ. (Sรญmera รญne Deftรฉra.) โ Today is Monday.
โข ฮฯฯฮนฮฟ ฮตฮฏฮฝฮฑฮน ฮ ฮฑฯฮฑฯฮบฮตฯ ฮฎ! (รvrio รญne Paraskevรญ!) โ Tomorrow is Friday!
Fun Facts about Days of the Week
โข Tuesday (ฮคฯฮฏฯฮท) is considered unlucky in Greece because of the fall of Constantinople on a Tuesday (May 29, 1453).
โข Friday the 13th is not a bad omen in Greece! Instead, Greeks consider Tuesday the 13th as an unlucky day.
โข Sundays are traditionally for rest and family gatherings. Even today, many businesses stay closed.
Keep practicing, and the Greek days will soon come naturally to you!
ฮฮฑฮปฮฎ ฮตฯฮนฯฯ ฯฮฏฮฑ! (Kalรญ epitychรญa! โ Good luck!)