Portuguese Days of the Week: Why They're Numbered (And How to Actually Use Them)

You're learning Portuguese and you just hit the days of the week. If you know Spanish or French, you probably expected something familiar—maybe "lunes" vibes or planetary god references like other Romance languages use.

Instead you got... segunda-feira? Terça-feira? What the hell is a "feira" and why is Monday the "second" one?

Yeah, Portuguese does its own thing here. The days of the week are completely different from every other major Romance language, and there's actually a pretty wild historical reason for it.

The Weird Numbering System

Here's how Portuguese days of the week work:

Segunda literally means "second." So if you're wondering why Monday is the second day... it's because Sunday is technically day one in Portuguese-speaking countries. That's just how they count the week.

Saturday and Sunday kept their old Latin names (Sabbath and "Lord's Day"), but Monday through Friday? Pure numbers.

Why Portuguese Went Rogue (Blame a Bishop)

Back in the 6th century, there was this Archbishop named Martin of Braga who had strong opinions about pagan gods. Most Romance languages were naming their weekdays after Roman deities and planets—you know, like how Spanish has "miércoles" from Mercury.

Martin wasn't having it. He pushed to rename the weekdays using the numbering system from Holy Week (Semana Santa), where each day was called a "feria"—basically a day of rest or feast day. The idea caught on, and Portugal stuck with it while Spanish, French, and Italian kept the planetary names.

So yeah, Portuguese days of the week exist because one religious guy in medieval Portugal decided the old names were too blasphemous. That's it. That's the whole reason.

If you want to see how this compares to other languages, check out our posts on Chinese days of the week or weekdays in French—both completely different systems.

Gender: It Actually Matters Here

Portuguese is a gendered language, and that applies to days of the week too.

Weekdays (segunda through sexta) are feminine.
Weekend days (sábado and domingo) are masculine.

The easy way to remember: if it ends in -a (like feira), it's feminine. If it ends in -o, it's masculine.

This matters because you need the right articles:

If you mess this up, it sounds wrong. Not unintelligible, but definitely not natural.

How People Actually Talk: Drop the -Feira

Here's something that'll make your life easier: in everyday conversation, most Brazilians and Portuguese speakers drop "-feira" completely.

Instead of saying the full "segunda-feira," people just say "segunda." Same with all the numbered days.

So you'll hear:

The only time you really need the full "-feira" is in formal writing or when you're being very clear about dates. Otherwise, keep it short.

Sábado and domingo stay the same though—no shortcuts there.

The Article Thing: No vs. Na, Aos vs. Às

This trips people up, but it's pretty logical once you get it.

When you're talking about a specific day (like "I'm going to the bank on Monday"), you use em + the article. And because Portuguese loves contractions, "em + a" becomes na and "em + o" becomes no.

But when you're talking about something that happens regularly—every Monday, every Saturday—you use aos (masculine) or às (feminine) with the plural.

The difference is subtle but important. Na/no = one specific instance. Aos/às = regular occurrence.

Abbreviations You'll See Everywhere

Portuguese speakers abbreviate the hell out of these days, especially in writing.

Common abbreviations:

You'll see these on store hours, schedules, calendars—basically anywhere space is tight. Some places also use three-letter codes (seg., ter., qua., etc.) but the numbered versions are super common because, well, the days are already numbered.

If you want to get comfortable with Portuguese numbers in general, we have a full breakdown in our numbers in Portuguese guide.

What This Means for Learning Portuguese

Understanding the days of the week is basic stuff, but it's also one of those things that reveals how Portuguese actually works.

The gender system, the contractions (em + o = no), the numbered pattern—these aren't isolated grammar rules. They show up everywhere in the language. Get comfortable with them now using simple vocab like days of the week, and you'll have an easier time when you hit more complex grammar later.

The numbered system is actually a gift for memorization. You don't need to remember seven random words—just learn segunda through sexta (2nd through 6th) plus the weekend days, and you're done.

Want to actually use this stuff instead of just memorizing tables? That's where real Portuguese content comes in.

The problem with learning days of the week—or any vocabulary—from textbooks or apps is you're learning them in isolation. You know "segunda-feira" means Monday, but you've never heard anyone actually say it in context. You don't know when people drop the "-feira" or which article to use without thinking about it.

That's where immersion works better. When you're watching Portuguese shows or reading actual articles, you see these days used naturally. You hear "vejo você na sexta" in a conversation, not as a grammar drill. Your brain starts picking up the patterns—when to use na vs. às, when people abbreviate, how formal vs. casual speech handles them.

Migaku's built specifically for this. You can watch Brazilian shows on Netflix or Portuguese YouTube videos, and our browser extension lets you hover over any word for an instant translation and add it straight to your flashcard deck. So when someone says "tenho que trabalhar no sábado" in a scene, you can look it up, save it, and review it later with the full context still there.

The mobile app syncs everything, so you can review those cards whenever. And the spaced repetition system makes sure you actually remember this stuff long-term, not just for the next five minutes.

If you're serious about learning Portuguese—not just passing a test but actually understanding real content—give Migaku a shot. There's a 10-day free trial, and it works way better than grinding vocab lists.