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Hoje é segunda-feira.

Hoje é segunda-feira.
Today is Monday.
From Lesson 22:Days of the week (segunda-feira)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of Hoje é segunda-feira.

ser
to be
hoje
today
a segunda-feira
the Monday

Questions & Answers about Hoje é segunda-feira.

Why isn't segunda-feira capitalized in this sentence?
Unlike in English, days of the week and months of the year are written in lowercase in Portuguese, unless they are at the very beginning of a sentence.
What does -feira mean, and why is Monday the "second" (segunda)?
Feira historically means "fair" or "market". In the Portuguese calendar, Sunday (domingo) is considered the first day of the week. That makes Monday the second day, which is why it is called segunda-feira.
Can I leave out the -feira part and just say Hoje é segunda?
Yes! In spoken and casual Portuguese, people drop -feira all the time. Saying Hoje é segunda is perfectly natural, though you will see the full word in formal writing or on official calendars.
Why do we use é (from the verb ser) instead of está (from estar) for the day of the week?
Even though "today" changes every day, dates and days of the week are treated as fixed facts in Portuguese. For definitive facts and identities, we use the verb ser (the "permanent" to be), so we use its "it is" form, é.

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