Saturday in French
Samedi in English: Saturday
Updated June 2026
samedi = sabbath (Christian replacement of Saturn). Reference card with native audio, IPA, Latin etymology, and naturalistic sentence examples.
Etymology
Sabbath (replaced Saturn)
Latin: sabbati dies = “Day of the Sabbath”
Samedi breaks the Roman planetary pattern. English Saturday kept the Roman name dies Saturni, but in French the Church replaced it with sabbati dies (Sabbath day) when Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire. The Latin sabbati became sabbatidi in Vulgar Latin and then samedi in Old French. The English cognate is 'sabbatical'.
English cognates: sabbath, sabbatical
Pronunciation
Samedi is the most phonetically accessible French day for English speakers. The 'a' is an open /a/ (like English 'art' but shorter), the 'm' and 'd' are standard consonants. Avoid the diphthong: 'saym-dee' is wrong; 'sam-dee' (with a pure flat 'a') is right.
Common mistake
Saying SAYM-dee with an English diphthong
Correct: Pure flat 'a': sam-dee
Sentence Examples
Real-world usage drawn from CNRTL attested corpora and naturalistic everyday French. Tap any sentence to hear it spoken.
Le samedi, on fait les courses.
On Saturdays, we do the shopping.
Habitual le-samedi.
Samedi prochain, c'est mon anniversaire.
Next Saturday is my birthday.
Prochain after day name.
Bon weekend ! A lundi.
Have a good weekend! See you Monday.
Common Friday-evening sign-off; samedi-dimanche implied as the weekend.
Related Days
Samedi - Frequently Asked Questions
What is samedi in English?
How do you pronounce samedi in French?
Is samedi masculine or feminine?
Where does the word samedi come from?
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