Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.
These are words that we use everyday.
They are part of our lives.
We use them to describe different types of experiences: at school, at home, at work, at a concert, in the street, everywhere.
Yesterday is gone, today is fine for me and tomorrow is another day.
So many ways to talk about what happened, what is happening, what will happen, maybe?
So many things to talk about, to dwell on, to interpret, to illustrate.
Why not make our descriptions better, fuller, livelier by using different words or expressions?
Our narrations become vivid.
Our stories carry weight, and not a burden.
Our voices are heard.
Our voices are heard.
Here are 30 expressions you can use, freely, to talk about Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow in a way that puts more meaning in whatever you say.
Here we go:
# 1: Yesterday
10 different ways of talking about YESTERDAY
a) Yesterday morning
- I went to the dentist’s yesterday morning. (The morning on the previous day)
b) Yesterday afternoon
- I had an appointment with the doctor yesterday afternoon. (The afternoon before)
c) Yesterday evening
- I was really busy yesterday evening. I barely saw anyone. (Last evening)
d) Last night
- She went to bed at 10 last night. (The night before)
e) Last evening
- He went to the supermarket to buy some food last evening. (The evening before)
f) The day before
- They left the city the day before and never returned. (This is used in Reported Speech or when someone is telling a story.)
g) The previous day
- He had received his salary the previous day. (The day before)
h) The previous morning
- She sent it to him the previous morning. (The morning before)
i) Prior to today
- This is dated prior to today. (This can refer to Yesterday but also to all other days before Today)
j) The preceding (business) day
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The balance sheet is published on Wednesdays or the nearest preceding business day in case of a holiday. (“Preceding” means coming before another or others)
# 2: Today
10 different ways of talking about TODAY
a) This morning
- I had porridge for breakfast this morning (Past tense)
- I will go to the doctor’s this morning. (Future tense)
b) This afternoon
- She read a nice short story this afternoon. (Past tense)
- He is going to buy the newspaper this afternoon.(Near future)
c) This evening
- Are you coming this evening? (Future)
- We will have jollof rice for supper this evening. (Future)
d) Now
- I am typing this now. (At this moment)
e) Right now
- Come here right now! (Immediately)
f) Just now
- I saw them just now. (A few seconds or minutes ago)
g) In a minute
- I will be there in a minute. (Very soon)
h) In a moment
- I will see you in a moment. (Shortly)
i) At the moment/At this moment
- They are in Zimbabwe at this moment. (Now, presently)
j) Straightaway
- I will serve dinner straightaway (Right away, without wasting time)
# 3: Tomorrow
10 different ways of talking about TOMORROW
a) Tomorrow morning
- You will come to my place tomorrow morning. (The next morning)
b) Tomorrow afternoon
- They are leaving for Pretoria tomorrow afternoon. (The following afternoon)
c) Tomorrow evening
- Will you bring this laptop to Lagos tomorrow evening? (The next evening)
d) The next day
- The next day, she left early for work because she did not want to be stuck in the traffic jam. (Used in Reported Speech or narrations)
e) The next morning
- All the decorations were ready the next morning. (Used in Reported Speech or narrations)
f) The next afternoon
- I saw her the next afternoon. (Used in Reported Speech or narrations)
g) The next evening
- She promised to come the next evening. (Used in Reported Speech or narrations)
h) The following day
- He decided to go to the market the following day. (The next day)
i) The subsequent day
- She was told to return to the hospital the subsequent day. (The following day. Used in Reported Speech. This is very formal)
j) The ensuing day
- The ensuing day proved to be very productive. (The next day. Used in Reported Speech. This is very formal)
Worksheets to download
- Summarised version of this lesson: 30 ways of talking about Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (Pdf) B1-B2
- Crossword Puzzle and Wordsearch for French learners: Time Expressions Revision (With Key) A1-A2
