Greek Days, Months and Dates
The Greek names for days and months, why the genitive is used in dates, and phrases for saying when things happen.
Days and months in Greek have stories in their names, and dates use a case ending that surprises beginners: the genitive.
The days of the week
- Δευτέρα (Monday) — from δεύτερη, "second" (the second day after Sunday)
- Τρίτη (Tuesday) — "third"
- Τετάρτη (Wednesday) — "fourth"
- Πέμπτη (Thursday) — "fifth"
- Παρασκευή (Friday) — from a word for "preparation" (for the Sabbath)
- Σάββατο (Saturday) — from Sabbath
- Κυριακή (Sunday) — "the Lord's day"
Days are not capitalised in the middle of a sentence, and are feminine except Σάββατο (neuter). To say "on Monday", use τη Δευτέρα; "on Saturday", το Σάββατο.
Parts of the day
- το πρωί — morning
- το μεσημέρι — midday, early afternoon
- το απόγευμα — afternoon
- το βράδυ — evening
- η νύχτα — night
The months
- Ιανουάριος (January)
- Φεβρουάριος (February)
- Μάρτιος (March)
- Απρίλιος (April)
- Μάιος (May)
- Ιούνιος (June)
- Ιούλιος (July)
- Αύγουστος (August)
- Σεπτέμβριος (September)
- Οκτώβριος (October)
- Νοέμβριος (November)
- Δεκέμβριος (December)
Many of these look familiar, since English months come from Latin and share roots with Greek names.
Dates use the genitive
To say a date, use the article and number plus the genitive form of the month, which ends in -ου:
- Σήμερα είναι 5 Οκτωβρίου. — Today is 5 October.
- Στις 14 Μαρτίου. — On 14 March.
- Η γιορτή μου είναι στις 23 Απριλίου. — My name day is on 23 April.
Genitive months: Ιανουαρίου, Φεβρουαρίου, Μαρτίου, Απριλίου, Μαΐου, Ιουνίου, Ιουλίου, Αυγούστου, Σεπτεμβρίου, Οκτωβρίου, Νοεμβρίου, Δεκεμβρίου.
The seasons
- η άνοιξη — spring
- το καλοκαίρι — summer
- το φθινόπωρο — autumn
- ο χειμώνας — winter
Time expressions
- σήμερα — today
- αύριο — tomorrow
- χθες / χτες — yesterday
- μεθαύριο — the day after tomorrow
- προχθές — the day before yesterday
- αυτή την εβδομάδα — this week
- την επόμενη εβδομάδα — next week
- κάθε μέρα — every day
- το Σαββατοκύριακο — the weekend
Asking about dates
- Τι μέρα είναι σήμερα; — What day is it today?
- Τι ημερομηνία έχουμε; — What's the date?
- Πότε έχεις γενέθλια; — When is your birthday?
- Έχω γενέθλια στις 3 Μαρτίου. — My birthday is on 3 March.
Writing dates
Greek writes dates in day/month/year order: 05/10/2026 is 5 October.
Practice
Say today's date aloud in Greek, then write your week's plans using days and times.
Look up Greek days and months with English Greek Dictionary →
English Greek Dictionary
Offline English–Greek dictionary with meanings in proper Greek script
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