Days

Level 1

The Swedish days of the week are: måndag, tisdag, onsdag, torsdag, fredag, lördag, söndag.

How It Works

Learning the days of the week is essential for making plans and talking about schedules. In Swedish, calendars conventionally list Monday first.

The Seven Days
Here are the days of the week, starting from Monday:

  • måndag - Monday
  • tisdag - Tuesday
  • onsdag - Wednesday
  • torsdag - Thursday
  • fredag - Friday
  • lördag - Saturday
  • söndag - Sunday

Important Rules:
1. No Capitalization: Days of the week are written in lowercase unless they are the first word in a sentence.
2. Prepositions:

  • Use på + [day] for an upcoming day in the basic pattern (e.g., på onsdag - on Wednesday).
  • Use på + [day in plural] for recurring events (e.g., på lördagar - on Saturdays).
  • Use i + [day]s for the most recent past day (e.g., i måndags - last Monday).

Past Narratives And Repeated Days
I måndags normally refers to the latest Monday before the speaking time. In a past account, på måndagen can refer to the Monday in that account: Vi kom på söndagen och åkte hem på måndagen. For a recurring pattern, use på måndagar or på måndagarna. Learn the complete expressions; the choice is not simply “på for future, i for past”.

Examples (5)

  1. Idag är det tisdag.

    Today is Tuesday.

    Word by Word: Today is it Tuesday.

  2. Vi ska fika på fredag.

    We are going to have fika on Friday.

    Word by Word: We shall fika on Friday.

  3. Jag var på bio i lördags.

    I was at the cinema last Saturday.

    Word by Word: I was at cinema in last-Saturday.

  4. Butiken är stängd på söndagar.

    The store is closed on Sundays.

    Word by Word: The-store is closed on Sundays.

  5. Mötet är på torsdag klockan tio.

    The meeting is on Thursday at ten o'clock.

    Word by Word: The-meeting is on Thursday clock ten.

Common Mistakes

  • Capitalizing the days of the week.

    Jag börjar mitt nya jobb på Måndag.
    Jag börjar mitt nya jobb på måndag.

    Unlike in English, days of the week are not capitalized in Swedish unless they start a sentence.

  • Combining på with the past-day form onsdags in this expression.

    Vad gjorde du på onsdags?
    Vad gjorde du i onsdags?

    For the recent Wednesday before the speaking time, say i onsdags. På onsdags mixes the patterns. This does not mean på can never refer to a past day: på onsdagen can identify a Wednesday in a past narrative.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

DaysLevel 1

Learn This First

To learn the days of the week, you need to understand that they function as 'ett' nouns and are typically used with the preposition 'på' to express 'on [day]'.