Saturday in French: samedi
Pronounced sahm-DEE — literally “Sabbath day”.
Saturday in French at a Glance
| French word | samedi |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | sahm-DEE (sa·me·di) |
| Literal meaning | Sabbath day |
| Abbreviation | sam. |
From Vulgar Latin sambati dies, “day of the Sabbath” — the Hebrew rest day, borrowed through Greek. Unlike English Saturday (Saturn's day), French replaced the Roman god with the biblical name.
How to Pronounce samedi
sahm-DEE — syllable by syllable: sa·me·di.
- The French r is soft and made at the back of the throat — don't roll it.
- Nasal vowels (as in lundi or vendredi) are pronounced through the nose, without sounding the n itself.
- Final syllables get the gentle stress in French — the rhythm is more even than English.
Example Sentences with samedi
How to Say “Happy Saturday” in French
“Bon samedi !” is the natural French way to wish someone a good Saturday — short, common, and used in person, in texts and in emails. (French adds a space before the exclamation mark.)
All 7 Days of the Week in French
Five French days still carry the names of Roman planetary gods — Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus — each ending in -di, from Latin dies (“day”). Saturday and Sunday flip the order (samedi, dimanche) and come from the Sabbath and “the Lord's day”. The French week starts on Monday.
| English | French | Pronunciation | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | lundi | luhn-DEE (nasal “un”) | |
| Tuesday | mardi | mar-DEE | |
| Wednesday | mercredi | mehr-kruh-DEE | |
| Thursday | jeudi | zhuh-DEE | |
| Friday | vendredi | vah(n)-druh-DEE | |
| Saturday | samedi | sahm-DEE | |
| Sunday | dimanche | dee-MAHNSH |
See the full guide: Days of the Week in French.
Cultural Notes: Saturday in French-Speaking Countries
Samedi is market day across France — the weekly marché is a social institution. Notice the word order flipped: in samedi and dimanche the “day” part (di) comes first, unlike lun-di through vendre-di.
Did You Know?
From Vulgar Latin sambati dies, “day of the Sabbath” — the Hebrew rest day, borrowed through Greek. Unlike English Saturday (Saturn's day), French replaced the Roman god with the biblical name. Curious how English got its name for Saturday? See our guide to the origins of the days of the week.
How to Use samedi in a Sentence
French uses no preposition for a specific day: Je travaille samedi = I work on Saturday. Adding le makes it habitual: le samedi = every Saturday. All seven days are masculine nouns.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say Saturday in French?
Saturday in French is samedi, pronounced “sahm-DEE”. It literally means “Sabbath day”.
What does samedi mean in English?
From Vulgar Latin sambati dies, “day of the Sabbath” — the Hebrew rest day, borrowed through Greek. Unlike English Saturday (Saturn's day), French replaced the Roman god with the biblical name.
How do you pronounce samedi?
It's pronounced “sahm-DEE” — broken into syllables: sa·me·di. Use the audio button on this page to hear a recording.
How do you say “Happy Saturday” in French?
Bon samedi !. “Bon samedi !” is the natural French way to wish someone a good Saturday — short, common, and used in person, in texts and in emails. (French adds a space before the exclamation mark.)
How is Saturday abbreviated in French?
Saturday (samedi) is abbreviated sam. on French calendars and schedules.
Is samedi capitalized in French?
No — French weekday names are lowercase: samedi, never Samedi (except at the start of a sentence).
How do you say “on Saturday” in French?
For one specific Saturday, use no preposition at all: Je travaille samedi = I work (on) Saturday. With the article — le samedi — it means “every Saturday”.
How do you say “today is Saturday” in French?
Aujourd'hui, c'est samedi — or more formally, Nous sommes samedi (literally “we are Saturday”).