Decoding the Portuguese Days of the Week (The 'Feira' System)

In most Romance languages (Spanish, French, Italian), the days of the week are named after Roman gods and planets (Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus).

Portuguese is the rebel. It is the only Romance language to reject the pagan names in favor of a Catholic numerical system.

The Weekdays

• Monday: Segunda-feira (Second Fair)
• Tuesday: Terça-feira (Third Fair)
• Wednesday: Quarta-feira (Fourth Fair)
• Thursday: Quinta-feira (Fifth Fair)
• Friday: Sexta-feira (Sixth Fair)

The Weekend

• Saturday: Sábado (Sabbath)
• Sunday: Domingo (The Lord's Day)

How to use them

In casual conversation, locals often drop the word "-feira".

• "Vens jantar na segunda?" (Are you coming to dinner on Monday?)

Why are they called "Fairs"?

This tradition started with Saint Martin of Braga in the 6th century. He argued that it was blasphemous for Christians to call days by the names of pagan gods. Since Easter week was a holy week of rest (feria), he renamed the days. Eventually, the Portuguese adopted this for the entire year.

PortuTalk's A1 Module will drill these until they become second nature, so you never miss a Quinta-feira happy hour!