“Fridays are the hardest in some ways: you’re so close to freedom.” (Lauren Oliver)

“Employers are at their happiest on Mondays. Employees are at their happiest on Fridays.”

“Some people ask the secret of our long marriage. We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candlelight, dinner, soft music, and dancing. She goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays. (Henny Youngman)

“It’s Friday…any plan of being a productive member of society is officially thrown out the window.” 

“I always give 100% at work: 13% Monday, 22% Tuesday, 26% Wednesday, 35% Thursday, 4% Friday.”

“Things people say: It’s Friday! Things self-employed people say: It’s Friday?”

“Thursday doesn’t even count as a day, it’s just the thing that’s blocking Friday.”

“My boss yelled at me yesterday ‘It’s the fifth time you’ve been late to work this week! Do you know what that means!?’ I said, ‘Probably that it’s Friday?”    

“I know every day is a gift, but where’s the receipt for Mondays? I want to exchange it for another Friday.”

“Why is Monday so far away from Friday but Friday is so close to Monday?”

“If Friday had a face I would kiss it.”

Can you translate the sentence parts into English?

1. Becserélném egy másik péntekre.

2. Olyan közel vagy a szabadsághoz.

3. A főnököm rám üvöltött tegnap.

4. a hosszú házasságunk titka

5. minden nap ajándék

Key

1. I would exchange it for another Friday.

2. You’re so close to freedom.

3. My boss yelled at me yesterday.

4. the secret of our long marriage

5. every day is a gift

So why doesn’t Thursday get all the love it deserves? It probably because it’s just that…Thursday. There are rarely interesting happenings that take place on Thursdays, so it tends to fall to the wayside and almost go unnoticed among the other exciting days of the week.

What do you say? Think we should show it some more love?

Here are some interesting facts about Thursdays:

In countries that use the Sunday-first convention, Thursday is defined as the fifth day of the week.

The name is derived from Old English Þūnresdæg and Middle English Thuresday meaning “Thor’s Day.”

The astrological and astronomical sign of the planet Jupiter is sometimes used to represent Thursday.

In the Christian tradition, Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter — the day on which the Last Supper occurred. Also known as Sheer Thursday in the United Kingdom, it is traditionally a day of cleaning and giving out Maundy money there.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Thursdays are dedicated to the Apostles and Saint Nicholas.

In Buddhist Thailand Thursday is considered the “Teacher’s Day”, and it is believed that one should begin one’s education on this auspicious day. Thai students still pay homages to their teachers in specific ceremony always held on a selected Thursday. And graduation day in Thai universities, which can vary depending on each university, almost always will be held on a Thursday.

In the Thai solar calendar, the colour associated with Thursday is orange.

In the USSR of the 1970s and 1980s Thursday was the “Fish Day”, when the nation’s foodservice establishments were supposed to serve fish (rather than meat) dishes.

In some high schools in the United States during the 1950s and the 1960s, it was believed that if someone wore green on Thursdays, it meant that he or she was gay.

source: tipsywriter.com

Why is it called Wednesday?

The name Wednesday derives from two mighty but distinct gods. The Old English word for Wednesday indicates that the day was named for the Germanic god Woden. In Romance languages, the name is derived from the Roman god Mercury. (For example, Wednesday is mercredi in French and miercuri in Romanian.)

Time expressions with Wednesday

Wednesday may be the middle of the week, but if you’ve come this far you can certainly make it to the weekend.

So enjoy your Wednesday and it’ll be the weekend before you know it!

Some quotes about Wednesday to help you survive:

“Wednesday’s child is full of woe… “ (Mother Goose)

“People think that you have to do something huge, like go to Africa and build a school, but you can make a small change in a day. If you change Wednesday, then you change Thursday. Pretty soon it’s a week, then a month, then a year. It’s bite-size, as opposed to feeling like you have to turn your life inside out to make changes.” (Hoda Kotb)

“I do admire Judi Dench and Sir Ian McKellen, but I’m a philistine. I like the good life too much; I’m not good at going on stage night after night and on wet Wednesday afternoons.” (Anthony Hopkins)

“I don’t know what your childhood was like, but we didn’t have much money. We’d go to a movie on a Saturday night, then on Wednesday night my parents would walk us over to the library. It was such a big deal, to go in and get my own book.” (Robert Redford)

“When I was younger, I wasn’t concentrating on good days. I was managing a career and trying to have a good year. It would always ‘lead’ to something, which never leads to anything except death, where everything leads to. And then as I got older, and then I had my kids and everything, I began to appreciate a great Wednesday.” (Albert Brooks)

Wednesday facts:

Football fans must have heard about Sheffield Wednesday, the third oldest English football club. It was originally a cricket club, which was named after the day of the week when they played their matches.

Students in France traditionally have no school on Wednesdays, a vestige from the 19th century when students were expected to study catechism once a week.

Wednesday is sometimes informally referred to as “hump day” in North America, a reference to the fact that Wednesday is the middle day—or “hump“—of a typical work week.

On Sunday

– Many American and British daily newspapers publish a larger edition on Sundays, which often includes colour comic strips, a magazine, and a coupon section.

– Professional golf tournaments traditionally end on Sunday.

– Most NASCAR Sprint Cup and IndyCar events are held on Sundays. Formula One World Championship races are always held on Sundays regardless of time zone/country

About Sunday

– Months that begin on a Sunday will always have a “Friday the 13th.”

– “Gloomy Sunday”, also known as the “Hungarian Suicide Song”, is a song composed by Hungarianpianist and composer Rezső Seress and published in 1933. It became well-known throughout much of the English-speaking world after the release of a version by Billie Holiday in 1941. There have been several urban legends regarding the song over the years, mostly involving it being allegedly connected with various numbers of suicides, and radio networks reacting by purportedly banning the song. However, most of these claims are unsubstantiated.

Expressions with Sunday

Sunday best

Your Sunday best are your smartest or ‘best’ clothes. If you were going to a formal party you would wear your Sunday best. Traditionally people would dress in smart clothes on a Sunday when they went to church.

Sunday driver

A Sunday driver is someone who drives very slowly. The description has a negative meaning. We use it to describe a driver who makes other drivers angry because of their slow driving. Sunday drivers go for a drive on Sunday just for something to do. They are not in a hurry and are not going anywhere special:

Palm Sunday

The Sunday before Easter.

Whitsunday

 “White Sunday” is the day of Pentecost.

The Sunday roast 

A traditional British and Irish main meal that is traditionally served on Sunday, consisting of roasted meat, roast potato or mashed potato, with accompaniments such as Yorkshire pudding, stuffing, vegetables and gravy. Other names for this meal are Sunday dinner, Sunday lunch.

Sunday school

Teaching children about the Bible and Christianity on Sunday while their parents are listening to the church service.

Can you match the expressions and the definitions?

Key:

1. c

2. f.

3. b.

4. e.

5. d

6. a.

And in the end read and compare the Hungarian and the English version of the song “Gloomy Sunday”. Which version do you prefer?

In ancient times, the Babylonian day began with sunrise and with sunset among other people. The earliest method of measuring parts of the day used the sun’s shadow. Sundials, for example, divided the length of daylight into the same number of parts regardless of season. Later, an improvement was made when days were divided into equal parts by using the rate at which water or sand ran out of a container.

The seven days became the standard with the Babylonians. Each day of the week had a special meaning: Sunday (Sun’s day), Monday (Moon’s day), Tuesday (named for Mars), Wednesday (named for Mercury), Thursday (named for Jupiter), Friday (named for Venus), Saturday (named for Saturn).

Have you ever wondered how the names of the Days of the Week originated? The Roman peoples, as did other ancient civilizations, named the days of the week after the sun, moon and planets, which were gods.

Sunday:

• Meaning: The Sun’s day
• Order in Week: Sunday was traditionally viewed as the first day of the week by the ancient Hebrews and a day of rest and worship.
• Folklore: Sunday was believed to be a lucky day for babies born.

Monday:

• Meaning: The Moon’s day
• Order in Week: Monday was traditionally viewed as the second day of the week.
• Folklore: It was believed by ancients that there were three Mondays during the year that were considered to be unlucky: first Monday in April, second in August and last in December.

Tuesday:

• Meaning: Tiw’s day; the Old Norse’s equivalent to planet and god of Mars
• Order in Week: traditionally viewed as the third day of the week
• Folklore: Mars was the Roman god of war.

Wednesday:

• Meaning: Woden’s day: the Old Norse’s equivalent to Mercury
• Order in Week: Wednesday was traditionally viewed as the fourth day of the week.
• Folklore: Mercury was the messenger to the gods and the Roman god of commerce, travel, and science.

Thursday:

• Meaning: Thor’s day: Old Norse’s equivalent to Jupiter
• Order in Week: Thursday was traditionally viewed as the fifth day of the week.
• Folklore: In the Roman calendar, the fifth day was called in Latin dies Jovis, meaning “Jove’s day,” for Jove, or Jupiter, the god of thunder and rain.

Friday:

• Meaning: Frigg’s/ Frica’s day: Old Norse’s equivalent to Venus
• Order in Week: Friday was traditionally viewed as the sixth day of the week.
• Folklore: Friday was held sacred to Venus, the goddess of love, by the Romans.

Saturday:

• Meaning: Saturn’s day
• Order in Week: Saturday was traditionally viewed as the seventh day of the week.
• Folklore: Saturday was named in honor of the Roman god, Saturn. The Hebrew called Saturday the “Sabbath”, meaning, day of rest. The Bible identifies Saturday a s the last day of the week.

Gyakoroljuk a napok nevét angolul egy régi slágerrel is ITT

But I just can’t stand the pain

Girl I’m leaving you tomorrow

Seems to me girl

You know I’ve done all I can

You see I begged, stole

And I borrowed

Ooh, that’s why I’m easy

I’m easy like Sunday morning

That’s why I’m easy

I’m easy like Sunday morning

Why in the world

Would anybody put chains on me?

I’ve paid my dues to make it

Everybody wants me to be

What they want me to be

I’m not happy when I try to fake it!

No!

Oh, that’s why I’m easy

I’m easy like Sunday morning

That’s why I’m easy

I’m easy like Sunday morning

I wanna be high, so high

I wanna be free to know

The things I do are right

I wanna be free

Just me, babe!

That’s why I’m easy

I’m easy like Sunday morning

That’s why I’m easy

I’m easy like Sunday morning

Because I’m easy

Easy like Sunday morning

Because I’m easy

Easy like Sunday morning

There are some nice expressions in the lyrics. Can you translate them into Hungarian?

1. I can’t stand the pain.

2. I’ve done all I can.

3. Why in the world?

4. I’ve paid my dues.

5. Everybody wants me to be what they want me to be.

6. I wanna be free.

Key

1. Nem tudom elviselni a fájdalmat.

2. Mindent megtettem, amit csak lehet/tudok.

3. Vajon miért? Mi a csudáért?

4. Megfizettem, ami jár.

5. Mindenki azt akarja, hogy olyan legyek, amilyennek ők akarnak látni engem.

6. Szabad akarok lenni.

Of the girl that I love,

As she lies here beside me

Asleep with the night,

And her hair, in a fine mist

Floats on my pillow,

Reflecting the glow

Of the winter moonlight.

She is soft, she is warm,

But my heart remains heavy,

And I watch as her breasts

Gently rise, gently fall,

For I know with the first light of dawn

I’ll be leaving,

And tonight will be

All I have left to recall.

Oh, what have I done,

Why have I done it,

I’ve committed a crime,

I’ve broken the law.

For twenty-five dollars

And pieces of silver,

I held up and robbed

A hard liquor store.

My life seems unreal,

My crime an illusion,

A scene badly written

In which I must play.

Yet I know as I gaze

At my young love beside me,

The morning is just a few hours away.

There are some sentences in the lyrics written in Present Perfect. Can you find them? Can you translate them into Hungarian? Can you transform the sentences into Past Simple?

Key

1. What have I done? – Mit tettem? – What did I do?

2. Why have I done it? – Miért tettem ezt? – Why did I do it?

3. I’ve committed a crime. – Bűntényt követtem el. – I committed a crime.

4. I’ve broken the law. – Áthágtam a törvényt. – I broke a law.

Saturday becomes the day for fun and recreation where most of the people indulge themselvesin happy activities especially during the night, popularly called across various cultures as ‘Saturday Night’.

There are some interesting facts about Saturdays worth knowing.

Birthday of Vampire Hunters

Traditionally, in older days it was believed that Saturdays are the appropriate days to hunt down Vampires as they are restricted to their coffins and are not allowed to get out on that day. In the Balkans tradition, those who are born on Saturdays are entitled to become vampire hunters as they can see vampires.

Swedish Saturday Candy

Children are allowed to have candies only on Saturdays, every week in Sweden. This is termed as Saturday Candy. The reason behind this practice of allowing children to have candies only on Saturdays is to prevent tooth decays, and it has a historical reason that was considered controversial in medical ethics.

Known as the Vipeholm experiments, during 1945-55, mentally challenged people at the Vipeholm mental hospital in Lund, Sweden, were fed too much sweets to study dental health. This was an experiment sponsored by both the sugar industry and doctors to get to know if carbohydrates have a direct impact in the formation of dental cavities.

The only weekly off in Nepal

Saturdays are the only official weekly holidays in Nepal and not Sundays. It is the last day of the week in Nepal.

Election Day

In many countries Saturday is the preferred day for election of public representatives. In Australia, elections are held usually on Saturdays and in New Zealand, Saturdays are the only days in which elections can be conducted. It is also preferred by the State of Louisiana, in the United States.

Why the name Saturday?

The seven day week came into the Roman Culture in 321 AD, after being originated in Mesopotamia. These seven days are based on the seven planets that were then believed torevolve around the Earth and thus control the events happening. Saturday is named after the planet Saturn, which is the god of agriculture in Roman mythology. The astronomical symbol of the planet resembles the sickle carried by the god of agriculture.

Saturday as the seventh day

The calendar that we follow considers Saturday as the sixth day of the week But the Abrahamic religions including Christianity, Islam and Judaism consider Saturday as the seventh day of the week.

The day of rest

As Genesis sums up the creation of the world in seven days and relates that God took rest after creating the whole universe during the previous six days. Thus the seventh day is considered to be a Sabbath or day of rest.

As religions consider Saturday as the seventh day, they also make it a day of rest or worship, calling it Sabbath.

Saturday words

The amount of criminal activities that take place on Saturday nights has led to the expression, “Saturday night special” a pejorative slang term used in the United States and Canada for any inexpensive handgun.

Holy Saturday is the day before Easter.

Black Saturday is a day named after the beginning of a tragic bushfire in Victoria, Australia which killed 173 people,injured 414 people, destroyed 2,100 homes and displaced 7,562 people.

It is common for clubs, bars and restaurants to be open later on Saturday night than on other nights. Thus “Saturday Night” has come to imply the party scene, and has lent its name to the film Saturday Night Fever.

Listen to the (1)……….

there is (2)………… all around.

There is something goin’ down

and I can (3)……. it.

On the (4)……… of the air,

there is dancin’ out there.

If it’s somethin’ we can share,

we can (5)…….. it.

And that sweet city (6)………

she moves through the light,

(7)……… my mind and my soul.

When you reach out for me

yeah, and the feelin’ is bright,

then I get night (8)…….., night fever.

We know how to do it.

Gimme that night fever, night fever.

We know how to show it.

Here I am,

(9)……… for this moment to last,

livin’ on the music so fine,

borne on the wind,

makin’ it mine.

Night fever, night fever.

We know how to do it.

Gimme that night fever, night fever.

We know how to show it.

In the heat of our love,

don’t need no help for us to make it.

Gimme just enough to take us to the mornin’.

I got (10)….. in my mind.

I got higher in my walkin’.

And I’m glowin‘ in the dark;

I give you warnin‘.

And that sweet city woman,

she moves through the light,

controlling my mind and my soul.

When you reach out for me

yeah, and the feelin’ is bright,

then I get night fever, night fever.

We know how to do it.

Gimme that night fever, night fever.

We know how to show it.

Here I am,

prayin’ for this moment to last,

livin’ on the music so fine,

borne on the wind,

makin’ it mine.

Night fever, night fever.

We know how to do it.

Gimme that night fever, night fever.

We know how to show it.

Key:

1. ground

2. movement

3. feel

4. waves

5. steal

6. woman

7. controlling

8. fever

9. prayin’

10. fire

Doing my best with what I had

Nothing much happened all the same

Something about me stood apart

A whisper of hope that seemed to fail

Maybe I’m born right out of my time

Breaking my life in two

[CHORUS]

Throw me tomorrow

Now that I’ve really got a chance

Throw me tomorrow

Everything’s falling into place

Throw me tomorrow

Seeing my past to let it go

Throw me tomorrow

Only for you I don’t regret

That I was Thursday’s child

Monday Tuesday Wednesday born I was

Monday Tuesday Wednesday born I was

Thursday’s child

Sometimes I cried my heart to sleep

Shuffling days and lonesome nights

Sometimes my courage fell to my feet

Lucky old sun is in my sky

Nothing prepared me for your smile

Lighting the darkness of my soul

Innocence in your arms

The title of David Bowie’s song is a reference to an old nursery rhyme about the days of the week. Do you know it?

Monday’s child is fair of face,

Tuesday’s child is full of grace;

Wednesday’s child is full of woe,

Thursday’s child has far to go;

Friday’s child is loving and giving,

Saturday’s child works hard for its living;

But the child that is born on the Sabbath day

Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.