hoy
“hoy” means “today” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
today
📝 In Action
Hoy es mi cumpleaños.
A1Today is my birthday.
¿Qué vas a hacer hoy?
A1What are you going to do today?
Hoy por la mañana, fui a correr.
A2This morning, I went for a run.
nowadays
Also: the present, these days
📝 In Action
Hoy en día, casi todos tienen un teléfono.
A2Nowadays, almost everyone has a phone.
El mundo de hoy es muy diferente al de nuestros abuelos.
B1Today's world is very different from our grandparents'.
Hay que vivir el hoy y no preocuparse tanto por el mañana.
B2One must live in the present and not worry so much about tomorrow.
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🗣️ Practice in a Tongue Twister
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: hoy
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'hoy' to mean 'nowadays' or 'the present era'?
📚 More Resources
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin phrase 'hoc die', which literally meant 'on this day'. Over time, the two words blended together to become 'hoy'.
First recorded: Around the 10th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the 'h' in 'hoy' silent?
In Spanish, the letter 'h' is almost always silent! It comes from the Latin word 'hodie'. Even though the spelling kept the 'h', the sound was lost over many centuries. Just pretend it's not there and say 'oy'.
What's the difference between 'hoy', 'ahora', and 'actualmente'?
'Hoy' means 'today' (the whole day). 'Ahora' means 'now' (this very moment). 'Actualmente' is closer to 'currently' or 'nowadays', and is a good synonym for the phrase 'hoy en día'.