workday
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workday
A day on which a person does their professional work, as opposed to a day off or the weekend. Also refers to the duration of daily working hours.
Nach einem langen Arbeitstag freue ich mich auf mein Sofa.
After a long workday, I look forward to my sofa.
This word is a clear example of a compound noun. It consists of 'die Arbeit' (work), the linking -s, and 'der Tag' (day). So it literally means a 'day of work'.
Montag bis Freitag sind für die meisten Menschen Arbeitstage.
Monday to Friday are workdays for most people.
To describe the quality of a workday, the word is often combined with adjectives. Typical examples are 'ein langer' (a long), 'ein kurzer' (a short), 'ein anstrengender' (a tiring), 'ein stressiger' (a stressful), or 'ein erfolgreicher' (a successful) workday.
Ich hatte heute einen wirklich stressigen Arbeitstag im Büro.
I had a really stressful workday at the office today.
'Arbeitstag' (workday) is frequently used with prepositions to set the time frame for other actions. Common phrases are 'vor dem Arbeitstag' (before the workday), 'während des Arbeitstages' (during the workday), and 'nach dem Arbeitstag' (after the workday).
Ich trinke immer vor dem Arbeitstag einen Kaffee.
I always drink a coffee before the workday.
weekday / day of week
A Arbeitstag depends on whether a person is actually working that day; with shift work, it can also be a Sunday. Wochentag refers here to the calendar days from Monday to Friday. Arbeitstag is therefore the right word for a personal work schedule, while Wochentag refers to the general calendar category.
Die Pflegerin ist auch sonntags erreichbar, wenn das ihr Arbeitstag ist.
The nurse is also available on Sundays if that is her workday.
Die Arztpraxis ist an jedem Wochentag von Montag bis Freitag erreichbar.
The doctor’s office is available every weekday from Monday to Friday.
