Days of the week (segunda-feira)

The Workweek (Monday to Friday)

Portuguese days of the week are unique. Instead of naming weekdays after planets or gods, Portuguese numbers them, starting with Monday as the "second day" (segunda-feira). The word feira originally meant "market" or "fair".

PortugueseLiteral meaningEnglish
a segunda-feirasecond fairMonday
a terça-feirathird fairTuesday
a quarta-feirafourth fairWednesday
a quinta-feirafifth fairThursday
a sexta-feirasixth fairFriday

All days ending in -feira are feminine.

Today is Monday.
Hoje é segunda-feira.

To say that an event happens "on" a specific weekday, combine the preposition em (in/on) with the feminine article a to make na (em + a = na).

They study on Tuesday and on Wednesday.
Eles estudam na terça-feira e na quarta-feira.
The train leaves on Friday.
O comboio parte na sexta-feira.

The Weekend (Saturday and Sunday)

The weekend days are sábado (Saturday) and domingo (Sunday). Unlike the weekdays, these do not end in -feira and they are both masculine.

Because they are masculine, you must combine em with the masculine article o to make no (em + o = no) when saying that something happens "on" the weekend.

Do you work on Saturday?
Vocês trabalham no sábado?
The family eats in the restaurant on Saturday.
A família come no restaurante no sábado.
The restaurant does not open on Sunday.
O restaurante não abre no domingo.
Our brother leaves on Sunday.
O nosso irmão parte no domingo.