This is your guide to all about venerdì, the word for Friday in Italian. Learn how to pronounce venerdì, how to use it and the important grammar details you need, all in one place. I’ve included plenty of examples too.
Not only that, find out about what’s open and what’s not on Fridays in Italy from someone who actually lives there!
Andiamo! Let’s go!
Table of Contents
ALL ABOUT FRIDAY IN ITALIAN
The word for Friday in Italian is venerdì.
Venere means Venus in Italian, so venerdì derives from “Venus-day”.
Ven. is the abbreviation for venerdì (Friday in Italian).
Venerdì is a masculine singular noun.
All of the other Italian days of the week are masculine too, except for domenica (Sunday) which is a feminine singular noun.
HOW TO PRONOUNCE VENERDÌ
The pronunciation of venerdì is: vehn-ehr-DEE
Listen to the pronunciation of venerdì here:
The accent on the ì in venerdì tells you that it is stressed, so the accent is on the last syllable.
Italian nouns which have an accented last syllable do not change in the plural form. So venerdì is both the singular and plural of Friday in Italian. Some other examples are città (city), tivù (TV), and comò (chest of drawers).
IS FRIDAY IN ITALIAN CAPITALIZED?
Like all of the other Italian days of the week (and months of the year), venerdì is not capitalized.
HOW TO USE VENERDÌ
The grammar rules in this section hold true for all of the days of the week in Italian, not just Friday.
WITHOUT THE DEFINITE ARTICLE
When you use venerdì alone without the definite article, you are referring to that specific Friday.
For example, venerdì (vado al mercato) means This Friday (I’m going to the market).
WITH THE DEFINITE ARTICLE
The correct definite article for venerdì is il, because it’s a masculine noun. When we use the definite article with venerdì (or any other day of the week), it is like saying every, and refers to an action that will repeat.
For example, Il venerdì (vado al mercato) means Every Friday (I go to the market), or On Fridays (I go to the market).
You can also use the definite article to talk about Fridays in general.
For example: Adoro il venerdì perché vado sempre al mercato! I love Fridays because I always go to the market!
IN THE PLURAL
Another way to say every Friday is tutti i venerdì. Literally, tutti i venerdì means all the Fridays.
Vado al mercato tutti i venerdì.
I go to the market every Friday.
Remember, because the last syllable of venerdì is accented, its ending doesn’t change in the plural form.
WITH THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE
The correct indefinite article for venerdì is un. You can use the indefinite article in a couple ways.
To talk about a Friday, for example:
Un venerdì di settembre siamo andati al mare.
On a Friday in September we went to the beach.
Non mi ricordo la data del concerto, ma era un venerdì.
I don’t remember the date of the concert, but it was on a Friday.
To talk about something that will take place on a Friday, or some Friday coming up:
Perchè non andiamo a prendere un caffè un venerdì?
Why don’t we go get a coffee on a Friday/some Friday?
NEXT AND LAST FRIDAY
To talk about a Friday in the past or in the future, use scorso (next) and prossimo (last).
Venerdì prossimo andiamo a Milano per 2 giorni.
Next Friday we’re going to Milan for 2 Days.
Venerdì scorso siamo andati a Ravenna.
Last Friday we went to Ravenna.
HELPFUL ITALIAN WORDS TO USE WITH LUNEDÌ
Here are some helpful Italian words that we often use with venerdì and the other days of the week:
| mattina | morning |
| pomeriggio | afternoon |
| sera | evening |
| notte | night |
| chiuso | closed |
| aperto | open |
Venerdì mattina la biblioteca è aperta. Friday morning the library is open.
Venerdì pomeriggio l’ufficio è chiuso. Friday afternoon the office is closed.
And of course, you can also talk about a specific time on Friday, for example venerdì alle 15 (Friday at 3pm). Read this post for all about how to talk about the time of day in Italian.
WHAT’S OPEN ON FRIDAY IN ITALY?
Venerdì is the last day of the Italian work week before the weekend, or fine settimana.
Most public Italian offices and schools are open from Monday through Friday (da lunedì a venerdì). On the other hand, most shops and businesses are open from Monday through Saturday (da lunedì a sabato).
Restaurants are almost always open for dinner on Fridays, but not necessarily for lunch. I always recommend checking ahead of time, and making a reservation.
Almost all museums and archeological sites are open on Fridays.
SPECIAL EVENTS ON FRIDAYS IN ITALY
Many Italian towns, and big city neighborhoods, have a weekly outdoor market. Market day is a special day, with more people coming in from the area to come shopping. Depending on the market, there may be everything from housewares to hats to food!
For example, Garda, a lovely small village on Lake Garda, has its weekly outdoor market on Friday mornings.
WHAT IS CLOSED ON FRIDAY IN ITALY?
In Italy, it’s always a good idea to check if you want to go to a specific store or restaurant. Italian businesses often have a giorno di riposo (day of rest) or giorno di chiusura (closed day). It’s already a given that most shops are closed on Sunday. The giorno di riposo is an additional morning or afternoon (or both) during the week when the shop is closed.
In Italy, it is common for all of the local shops in a small town to be closed at the same time on the giorno di riposo (day of rest). Keep this in mind when planning a trip to a small Italian village!
WHAT IMPORTANT ITALIAN HOLIDAYS ARE ON FRIDAY?
Most important Italian holidays, like Ferragosto and Christmas, are on the same date every year, so from year to year they fall on a different day of the week. The same can’t be said for venerdì santo, which is a movable feast.
Venerdì santo literally means Holy Friday (otherwise known as Good Friday). It is an important day of the Italian, and Catholic calendar. Part of Holy Week celebrations, it is the Friday before Easter Sunday.
Read more about the Days of the Week and the Months of the Year in Italian!