Saturday in Spanish: sábado
Pronounced SAH-bah-doh — literally “Sabbath day”.
Saturday in Spanish at a Glance
| Spanish word | sábado |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | SAH-bah-doh (sá·ba·do) |
| Literal meaning | Sabbath day |
| Abbreviation | sáb. / S |
From Latin sabbatum, borrowed from Hebrew Shabbat, the day of rest. Spanish dropped the Roman “Saturn's day” (which English Saturday kept) in favor of the biblical name.
How to Pronounce sábado
SAH-bah-doh — syllable by syllable: sá·ba·do.
- Spanish vowels are short and pure — every vowel is always pronounced the same way.
- The stress falls on the syllable shown in capitals in the guide above; written accents (é, á) mark irregular stress.
- In Spain the d between vowels softens to a th-like sound (sábado ≈ “SAH-ba-tho”).
Example Sentences with sábado
How to Say “Happy Saturday” in Spanish
“¡Feliz sábado!” is genuinely common in Spanish — you'll see it all over social media every Saturday morning, often with emojis and sunrise photos.
All 7 Days of the Week in Spanish
Spanish inherited the Roman planetary week almost intact: Monday through Friday still carry the names of the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and Venus, while the weekend was renamed by the Church — sábado from the Sabbath and domingo from “the Lord's day”. The week starts on Monday.
| English | Spanish | Pronunciation | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | lunes | LOO-nes | |
| Tuesday | martes | MAR-tes | |
| Wednesday | miércoles | MYEHR-koh-les | |
| Thursday | jueves | HWEH-bes | |
| Friday | viernes | BYEHR-nes | |
| Saturday | sábado | SAH-bah-doh | |
| Sunday | domingo | doh-MEEN-goh |
See the full guide: Days of the Week in Spanish.
Cultural Notes: Saturday in Spanish-Speaking Countries
Stress the first syllable: SÁ-ba-do. Saturday is prime time for errands, fútbol and long family lunches across the Spanish-speaking world; unlike weekdays, it pluralizes normally — los sábados.
Did You Know?
From Latin sabbatum, borrowed from Hebrew Shabbat, the day of rest. Spanish dropped the Roman “Saturn's day” (which English Saturday kept) in favor of 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 sábado in a Sentence
Spanish uses the article el instead of “on”: el sábado = on Saturday. The plural los sábados means “every Saturday”: Trabajo los sábados = I work on Saturdays. Days ending in -s keep the same form in the plural; only sábado and domingo add an -s.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say Saturday in Spanish?
Saturday in Spanish is sábado, pronounced “SAH-bah-doh”. It literally means “Sabbath day”.
What does sábado mean in English?
From Latin sabbatum, borrowed from Hebrew Shabbat, the day of rest. Spanish dropped the Roman “Saturn's day” (which English Saturday kept) in favor of the biblical name.
How do you pronounce sábado?
It's pronounced “SAH-bah-doh” — broken into syllables: sá·ba·do. Use the audio button on this page to hear a recording.
How do you say “Happy Saturday” in Spanish?
¡Feliz sábado!. “¡Feliz sábado!” is genuinely common in Spanish — you'll see it all over social media every Saturday morning, often with emojis and sunrise photos.
How is Saturday abbreviated in Spanish?
Saturday (sábado) is abbreviated sáb. / S on Spanish calendars and schedules.
Is sábado capitalized in Spanish?
No — Spanish never capitalizes weekday names in normal writing. It's siempre sábado, lowercase, unless the word begins a sentence.
How do you say “on Saturday” in Spanish?
Use the article el, with no preposition: el sábado = on Saturday. For “every Saturday”, use the plural: los sábados.
How do you say “today is Saturday” in Spanish?
Hoy es sábado. Note there's no article in this expression — not “hoy es el sábado”.