Domingo
Domingo en 30 secondes
- Domingo is the Portuguese word for Sunday, a masculine noun used with the article 'o'. It is the primary day of rest in Lusophone cultures.
- To say 'on Sunday', use the contraction 'no'. For recurring Sunday activities or habits, use the plural form 'aos domingos' consistently.
- Culturally, it is the day for family lunches (almoço de domingo), football matches, and religious services, often ending with a sense of 'Sunday scaries'.
- Unlike weekdays (segunda-feira, etc.), it does not use the '-feira' suffix, making it easier to remember alongside 'sábado' as the weekend pair.
The word Domingo is the Portuguese term for Sunday, representing the seventh day of the week in the Gregorian calendar and, traditionally in Lusophone cultures, the first day of the liturgical week. Derived from the Latin dies Dominicus, meaning 'the Lord's Day,' it carries a heavy cultural and historical weight across all Portuguese-speaking nations. In Brazil and Portugal, Sunday is the quintessential day of rest, family gatherings, and religious observance. Unlike English, where days of the week often end in '-day', Portuguese days (from Monday to Friday) use the suffix '-feira', making Domingo and Sábado unique outliers in the weekly nomenclature.
- Grammatical Gender
- Masculine (o domingo). Always used with masculine articles and adjectives.
- Plural Form
- Domingos. Used to describe recurring events (e.g., 'aos domingos').
- Etymological Root
- Latin 'Dominicus', referring to 'Dominus' (Lord).
"O domingo é o dia perfeito para descansar e recarregar as energias para a nova semana que se inicia."
In a practical sense, domingo dictates the rhythm of life. In smaller towns, shops are almost universally closed, while in large metropolises like São Paulo or Lisbon, it is the day of 'feiras' (street markets) and 'futebol'. The concept of the 'almoço de domingo' (Sunday lunch) is perhaps the most significant cultural pillar, where extended families meet for hours over traditional dishes like feijoada or bacalhau.
"Não gosto de trabalhar no domingo à tarde."
- Common Collocations
- Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday), Domingo de Páscoa (Easter Sunday).
"Todo domingo tem jogo no estádio."
"O domingo passou voando."
- Temporal Usage
- Used with 'passado' (last) and 'que vem' (next).
"Vamos viajar no próximo domingo."
Using the word domingo correctly involves understanding its role as a masculine noun and its interaction with prepositions. Unlike English, where you say 'on Sunday', Portuguese uses the contraction no (em + o). If you are referring to Sundays in general or a habit, you use aos domingos.
1. Prepositional Agreement
When indicating a specific event on a specific Sunday, use 'no'. Example: 'Eu te vejo no domingo' (I'll see you on Sunday). If you are talking about the period of the day, you combine it: 'domingo de manhã' (Sunday morning), 'domingo à tarde' (Sunday afternoon), or 'domingo à noite' (Sunday night).
2. Pluralization for Habits
To describe something you do every week, the plural domingos is paired with the preposition aos. 'Aos domingos, eu visito minha avó' (On Sundays, I visit my grandmother). This is a common way to describe routines.
3. Adjectival Use
While domingo is a noun, it can modify other nouns to describe things typical of the day, often using the preposition 'de'. 'Roupa de domingo' refers to 'Sunday best' or formal clothes. 'Passeio de domingo' refers to a casual Sunday outing.
4. The 'Próximo' vs 'Passado'
To navigate time, use 'domingo passado' (last Sunday) and 'domingo que vem' or 'próximo domingo' (next Sunday). Note that in casual Brazilian Portuguese, 'domingo que vem' is much more frequent than 'próximo domingo'.
You will encounter domingo in various social contexts, from the most formal to the most casual. It is a word that anchors the weekly schedule of the Lusophone world.
In the Family Circle
The most common place is during the planning of the almoço de família. You'll hear: 'O que vamos fazer no domingo?' or 'Vai ter churrasco este domingo?'. It is the day of connection.
In Media and Sports
Sunday is synonymous with football in Brazil. TV announcers will constantly refer to 'O domingo de futebol'. News programs like 'Fantástico' are so synonymous with Sunday nights that the word domingo often evokes the feeling of the weekend ending and the work week looming.
In Religious Contexts
For the Catholic majority in Portugal and Brazil, domingo is the day of the 'Missa' (Mass). You will hear bells ringing and people inviting each other: 'Vamos à missa de domingo?'.
In Commerce
You might see signs saying 'Fechado aos domingos' (Closed on Sundays) or 'Horário especial de domingo' (Special Sunday hours) in malls and supermarkets.
Even though it is a basic word, learners often trip over the gender and the prepositions associated with domingo.
- Using the wrong gender: Some learners assume days are feminine because of 'a feira'. However, domingo and sábado are masculine. Never say 'a domingo'; it is always o domingo.
- Preposition confusion: English speakers often try to translate 'on' literally as 'em'. While 'em' is the base, it must contract with the article. Say no domingo, not 'em domingo'.
- Capitalization: In Portuguese, unlike English, days of the week are generally not capitalized unless they start a sentence or are part of a proper noun (like a holiday). Write 'o domingo', not 'o Domingo'.
- Pluralizing the article only: When talking about habits, both the article and the noun must be plural: aos domingos, not 'ao domingos'.
While domingo is unique, it exists within a cluster of temporal and cultural terms that learners should distinguish.
- Sábado
- The other 'weekend' day. Like domingo, it is masculine and does not use the '-feira' suffix.
- Fim de semana
- The general term for 'weekend', encompassing both Saturday and Sunday.
- Feriado
- A holiday. Often, if a holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, people 'enforcam' (bridge) the day to create a long weekend that feels like a long Sunday.
- Segunda-feira
- Monday. The linguistic and psychological opposite of domingo, representing the return to work.
In some contexts, domingueiro is an adjective used to describe someone who does typical Sunday activities, sometimes used pejoratively to mean a 'Sunday driver' or someone who is out of their element during the week.
How Formal Is It?
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Niveau de difficulté
Grammaire à connaître
Exemples par niveau
Hoje é domingo.
Today is Sunday.
Simple subject-verb-complement.
Eu não trabalho no domingo.
I don't work on Sunday.
Use of 'no' (em + o).
O domingo é bom.
Sunday is good.
Masculine article 'o'.
Gosto do domingo.
I like Sunday.
Contraction 'do' (de + o) after 'gostar'.
Domingo de manhã.
Sunday morning.
Time expression.
É domingo?
Is it Sunday?
Interrogative tone.
Até domingo!
See you Sunday!
Common farewell.
Domingo é feriado.
Sunday is a holiday.
Noun as subject.
Aos domingos, eu como pizza.
On Sundays, I eat pizza.
Plural 'aos' for habits.
Fui à praia no domingo passado.
I went to the beach last Sunday.
Preterite tense + 'passado'.
O que você vai fazer no próximo domingo?
What are you going to do next Sunday?
Future with 'ir' + 'próximo'.
O shopping abre no domingo?
Does the mall open on Sunday?
Present tense for general inquiry.
Domingo é dia de descanso.
Sunday is a day of rest.
Defining the day.
Nós almoçamos juntos todo domingo.
We have lunch together every Sunday.
'Todo' used as 'every'.
Ela chega no domingo à noite.
She arrives on Sunday night.
Specific time of day.
O jogo de futebol é no domingo.
The football match is on Sunday.
Event placement in time.
Sempre que é domingo, sinto uma leve tristeza à noite.
Whenever it's Sunday, I feel a slight sadness at night.
Conjunction 'sempre que'.
Se não chover no domingo, faremos um piquenique.
If it doesn't rain on Sunday, we will have a picnic.
Conditional sentence.
Ele costumava caminhar no parque aos domingos.
He used to walk in the park on Sundays.
Imperfect tense for past habits.
O almoço de domingo é sagrado para minha família.
Sunday lunch is sacred for my family.
Metaphorical use of 'sagrado'.
Não há nada mais calmo que uma manhã de domingo.
There is nothing calmer than a Sunday morning.
Comparative structure.
Espero que você possa vir no domingo.
I hope you can come on Sunday.
Subjunctive mood.
O domingo passou sem que eu percebesse.
Sunday passed without me noticing.
Subjunctive after 'sem que'.
Eles decidiram adiar a reunião para o próximo domingo.
They decided to postpone the meeting to next Sunday.
Preposition 'para' indicating future target.
O comércio local costuma fechar aos domingos, salvo raras exceções.
Local trade usually closes on Sundays, with rare exceptions.
Formal vocabulary ('salvo', 'exceções').
A missa de domingo atrai fiéis de toda a região.
Sunday mass attracts the faithful from the whole region.
Collective noun 'fiéis'.
Apesar de ser domingo, a cidade estava estranhamente barulhenta.
Despite being Sunday, the city was strangely noisy.
Concessive clause with 'Apesar de'.
O domingo de Páscoa é uma das datas mais importantes do calendário.
Easter Sunday is one of the most important dates in the calendar.
Proper noun context.
Ele vestiu seu melhor terno de domingo para a ocasião.
He wore his best Sunday suit for the occasion.
Idiomatic 'terno de domingo'.
A programação de domingo na TV é voltada para a família.
Sunday TV programming is geared towards the family.
Passive construction 'voltada para'.
O trânsito no domingo à tarde costuma ser intenso na volta da praia.
Traffic on Sunday afternoon is usually heavy returning from the beach.
Complex noun phrases.
Dificilmente encontraremos um médico disponível em pleno domingo.
We will hardly find a doctor available in the middle of Sunday.
Adverb 'Dificilmente' and 'em pleno'.
A melancolia que emana das tardes de domingo é um tema recorrente na literatura.
The melancholy emanating from Sunday afternoons is a recurring theme in literature.
Relative clause and high-level vocabulary.
O conceito de descanso dominical foi fundamental para a estruturação das leis trabalhistas.
The concept of Sunday rest was fundamental to the structuring of labor laws.
Adjective 'dominical'.
Nada obsta que o evento seja realizado no próximo domingo.
Nothing prevents the event from being held next Sunday.
Formal 'Nada obsta que' + subjunctive.
A cidade transmuta-se aos domingos, revelando uma face mais pacata.
The city transmutes on Sundays, revealing a more peaceful face.
Pronominal verb 'transmuta-se'.
O domingo, outrora estritamente religioso, tornou-se um dia de consumo desenfreado.
Sunday, formerly strictly religious, has become a day of unbridled consumption.
Adverb 'outrora'.
Instaurou-se um silêncio dominical que pairava sobre a vila.
A Sunday silence was established, hovering over the village.
Synthetic passive 'Instaurou-se'.
Aos domingos, o ritmo frenético da metrópole dá lugar a uma inércia contemplativa.
On Sundays, the frantic pace of the metropolis gives way to a contemplative inertia.
Metaphorical language.
Sob o pretexto de ser domingo, ele permitiu-se ignorar os e-mails de trabalho.
Under the pretext of it being Sunday, he allowed himself to ignore work emails.
Prepositional phrase 'Sob o pretexto de'.
A perenidade do rito do almoço de domingo salvaguarda a coesão do núcleo familiar.
The perennial nature of the Sunday lunch rite safeguards the cohesion of the family nucleus.
Highly formal/academic register.
O domingo afigura-se como um hiato temporal na produtividade incessante da modernidade.
Sunday appears as a temporal hiatus in the incessant productivity of modernity.
Pronominal 'afigura-se'.
Nas entranhas do domingo, jaz a promessa de um recomeço que raramente se cumpre.
In the bowels of Sunday lies the promise of a new beginning that is rarely fulfilled.
Literary/Poetic syntax.
A dicotomia entre o sagrado e o profano manifesta-se com vigor nos domingos brasileiros.
The dichotomy between the sacred and the profane manifests with vigor on Brazilian Sundays.
Philosophical terminology.
Não obstante a laicização da sociedade, o domingo retém sua aura de excepcionalidade.
Notwithstanding the secularization of society, Sunday retains its aura of exceptionality.
Conjunction 'Não obstante'.
O tédio dominical, tão bem retratado por poetas, é uma patologia do tempo livre.
Sunday boredom, so well portrayed by poets, is a pathology of free time.
Appositive phrase.
Aos domingos, a urbe despe-se de sua armadura funcional para trajar a túnica do ócio.
On Sundays, the city strips off its functional armor to wear the tunic of leisure.
Extended metaphor.
Eis que o domingo desponta, trazendo consigo o peso da finitude do descanso.
Behold, Sunday dawns, bringing with it the weight of the finitude of rest.
Archaic/Literary 'Eis que'.
Collocations courantes
Phrases Courantes
No domingo
Aos domingos
Todo domingo
Domingo que vem
Até domingo
Em pleno domingo
Domingo de Ramos
Domingo de Páscoa
Passar o domingo
Curtir o domingo
Souvent confondu avec
Expressions idiomatiques
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Facile à confondre
Structures de phrases
Comment l'utiliser
'Domingão' usually implies a very fun or long Sunday.
In some parts of Portugal, 'ao domingo' is used instead of 'no domingo'.
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Domingo is masculine, so it requires the masculine contraction 'no'.
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You must use the definite article when referring to a specific day.
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Only Monday through Friday use the '-feira' suffix.
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Days of the week are not capitalized in Portuguese.
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The noun must be plural if the article is plural.
Astuces
Gender Check
Always pair 'domingo' with masculine adjectives. Say 'domingo ensolarado' (sunny Sunday), not 'ensolarada'. It's a common mistake for beginners.
The Big Lunch
If invited to a 'domingo' lunch, arrive hungry. These meals are long, involve lots of food, and are the center of social life.
Next Sunday
Use 'domingo que vem' for the immediate next Sunday. It sounds more natural than 'próximo domingo' in casual Brazilian speech.
Nasal Vowels
The 'on' in 'domingo' is nasal. Don't pronounce the 'n' fully; instead, let the sound go through your nose.
Time of Day
Combine with 'de' for periods: 'domingo de manhã'. It's more common than using 'no domingo de manhã'.
Domino Effect
Imagine a row of dominos falling. The first one to fall is 'Domingo', the first day of the week.
Football Talk
Sunday is the best day to talk about football. Most big games happen then, so it's a great conversation starter.
Lowercase
Remember: segunda, terça, quarta, quinta, sexta, sábado, domingo. All lowercase. It makes your writing look more native.
Fast Contractions
In fast speech, 'no domingo' might sound like 'nu-domingu'. Train your ear to catch that 'n' sound.
Sunday Scaries
Brazilians call the Sunday night blues 'depressão de domingo'. It's a very common topic on social media.
Mémorise-le
Moyen mnémotechnique
Think of 'Dominating' the rest of the week by starting with a 'Domingo' of rest.
Origine du mot
Latin
Contexte culturel
Family gatherings and music (Kizomba/Semba) are common on Sundays.
Sunday is synonymous with the beach and street markets (feiras).
Religious traditions remain strong, especially in rural areas.
Pratique dans la vie réelle
Contextes réels
Amorces de conversation
"O que você costuma fazer aos domingos?"
"Você prefere o sábado ou o domingo?"
"Qual é o seu almoço de domingo favorito?"
"Você trabalha no domingo?"
"Como foi o seu domingo passado?"
Sujets d'écriture
Descreva o seu domingo perfeito.
Por que o domingo é um dia importante para a família?
O que você sente quando a noite de domingo chega?
Escreva sobre uma tradição de domingo na sua infância.
Como o domingo é diferente nos outros países?
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsIt is masculine. You say 'o domingo' and 'um domingo'. This is consistent with 'sábado' but different from the other days of the week which are feminine.
You use the contraction 'no' (em + o). For example: 'Eu vou à praia no domingo.'
No, in Portuguese, days of the week are not capitalized unless they start a sentence or are part of a proper name like a holiday.
The plural is 'domingos'. It is used when talking about multiple Sundays or habits, usually as 'aos domingos'.
In the Portuguese language and many Lusophone cultures, 'domingo' is considered the first day of the week, which is why Monday is 'segunda-feira' (second day).
It is an adjective for things related to Sunday. It can also describe someone who only does an activity on Sundays, like a 'motorista domingueiro' (Sunday driver).
You can say 'todo domingo' or 'todos os domingos'. Both are common in daily conversation.
It is 'Palm Sunday', the Sunday before Easter in the Christian tradition, widely celebrated in Portugal and Brazil.
Informally, people use 'domingar' to mean spending the Sunday in a relaxed, lazy way. It is not a formal verb.
Because 'domingo' (and 'sábado') have religious origins (Lord's day and Sabbath), while the '-feira' days come from a medieval Catholic naming system for workdays.
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Summary
Domingo is more than just a day; it is a cultural institution in the Portuguese-speaking world, signifying a transition from the relaxation of the weekend to the preparation for the work week, marked by specific social rituals and grammatical rules.
- Domingo is the Portuguese word for Sunday, a masculine noun used with the article 'o'. It is the primary day of rest in Lusophone cultures.
- To say 'on Sunday', use the contraction 'no'. For recurring Sunday activities or habits, use the plural form 'aos domingos' consistently.
- Culturally, it is the day for family lunches (almoço de domingo), football matches, and religious services, often ending with a sense of 'Sunday scaries'.
- Unlike weekdays (segunda-feira, etc.), it does not use the '-feira' suffix, making it easier to remember alongside 'sábado' as the weekend pair.
Gender Check
Always pair 'domingo' with masculine adjectives. Say 'domingo ensolarado' (sunny Sunday), not 'ensolarada'. It's a common mistake for beginners.
The Big Lunch
If invited to a 'domingo' lunch, arrive hungry. These meals are long, involve lots of food, and are the center of social life.
Next Sunday
Use 'domingo que vem' for the immediate next Sunday. It sounds more natural than 'próximo domingo' in casual Brazilian speech.
Nasal Vowels
The 'on' in 'domingo' is nasal. Don't pronounce the 'n' fully; instead, let the sound go through your nose.
Exemple
Gosto de descansar no domingo.
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