Italian Phrase
Che giorno è oggi?
Meaning
A direct question asking for the day of the week that corresponds to the current date. It literally translates to “What day is today?” and is used when you want to know whether it’s Monday, Tuesday, etc.
When to use
Use this phrase in everyday conversation when you’ve lost track of the week, when you’re planning activities, or when you’re confirming a schedule with a friend. It’s informal but perfectly acceptable in both casual and semi‑formal settings.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Chegiornoèoggi
Che (interrogative adjective)
Used to ask 'what' about a noun; it agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies.
giorno (noun, masculine singular)
Means 'day' and is the subject of the sentence.
è (verb essere, 3rd person singular)
The present‑tense form of 'to be' used here as a copula linking the subject and the complement.
oggi (adverb)
Means 'today' and functions as a temporal adverb that specifies the time reference.
🗨In Conversation
Che giorno è oggi?
What day is it today?
È martedì.
It’s Tuesday.
✕Common Mistakes
Che data è oggi?
‘Data’ asks for the calendar date (e.g., 12 March), not the day of the week. Use ‘Che giorno è oggi?’ for the weekday.
Che giorno è oggi
In written Italian a question must end with a question mark. The spoken form is fine, but the punctuation signals the interrogative.
Che giorno ha oggi?
Avoid using the verb ‘avere’ (e.g., *‘Che giorno ha oggi?’*) – the correct copula is ‘essere’ (è).
↔Alternatives
Qual è il giorno di oggi?
What is today’s day?
Che giorno è?
What day is it?
Che giorno è oggi?
What day is it today?
Cultural Tip
In Italy people often answer with the day of the week (lunedì, martedì, ecc.) rather than the calendar date. If you need the exact date (day of the month), ask “Che data è oggi?” or “Qual è la data di oggi?”. Also, Italians may add a polite “Scusa” before the question in more formal contexts: “Scusa, che giorno è oggi?”.