A horizontal row of seven uniquely colored, smooth stones arranged side-by-side, symbolizing the seven days of a week.

semana

/seh-MAH-nah/

NounfA1

week?a period of seven days

📝 In Action

¿Qué planes tienes para esta semana?

What plans do you have for this week?

La semana que viene voy de vacaciones.

Next week I'm going on vacation.

Trabajo cinco días a la semana.

I work five days a week.

Nos vemos dentro de una semana.

See you in a week.

Word Connections

Common Collocations

fin de semana – weekend
la semana que viene / la próxima semana – next week
la semana pasada – last week
entre semana / durante la semana – during the week / on weekdays
toda la semana – all week

Idioms & Expressions

hacerle la semana a alguien – To make someone's week; to make someone very happy.

💡 Grammar Points

Always Feminine: 'la semana'

Remember that 'semana' is a feminine word, so you'll always use feminine words like 'la', 'una', or 'esta' with it. For example, 'la semana pasada' (last week).

Talking About 'Next' and 'Last' Week

To say 'next week', you can use 'la semana que viene' or 'la próxima semana'. They mean the same thing. For 'last week', you'll always use 'la semana pasada'.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Using 'en la semana'

Mistake: "Voy al cine en la semana."

Correction: To talk about this specific week, say: 'Voy al cine esta semana'. If you mean 'on weekdays' in general, use 'entre semana' or 'durante la semana'.

⭐ Usage Tips

Your Key to the Calendar

The word 'semana' is your anchor for talking about days. The days of the week in Spanish are: lunes, martes, miércoles, jueves, viernes, sábado, y domingo.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: semana

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly says 'I'm going to the beach next week'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

semanal(weekly) - adjective

semanario(weekly publication) - noun

fin de semana(weekend) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between 'la semana que viene' and 'la próxima semana'?

They both mean 'next week' and you can use them interchangeably. 'La semana que viene' is slightly more common in everyday conversation, but you'll be perfectly understood using either one.

How do I say 'on weekdays'?

You can say 'entre semana' or 'durante la semana'. For example, 'Trabajo entre semana' means 'I work on weekdays'.