How to Use – Today Tomorrow The Day After Tomorrow (PDF & Video)

Learn how to use the words today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, yesterday, and the day before yesterday like a native speaker. Also, increase your range of conversation topics with time by adding the preposition in and the adverb ago.

Feb. 7th – The Day Before Yesterday

Feb. 8th – Yesterday

Feb. 9th – Today

Feb. 10th – Tomorrow

Feb. 11th – The Day After Tomorrow

Watch the video to review the grammar with audio and video, AND improve your English listening and pronunciation skills with a chance to listen and repeat some natural English sentences.
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FREE 18-page PDF Download

It is Wednesday, Feb. 9th.

Feb. 9th – today
Feb. 10th – tomorrow
Feb. 11th – the day after tomorrow

What if we go back?

Feb. 9th – today
Feb. 8th – yesterday
Feb. 7th – the day before yesterday

Please look at the following calendar:

Today Tomorrow The day after tomorrow

Pretend that today is Wednesday, February 9th. We will use a calendar from 2011 to guide us as we practice this English grammar.
We will start with and an easy one. What do we call Thursday, February 10th? Tomorrow of course!
Now when we talk about Friday, February 11th we will say “the day after tomorrow.”

“I’m going to Hokkaido the day after tomorrow.”

I'm going to Hokkaido the day after tomorrow.

In natural communication, it’s probably more common to just say:

“I’m going to Hokkaido on Friday.”

Learn future tense grammar HERE

AFTER the Day After Tomorrow

After Friday the 11th we count how many days forward and use the preposition IN. Remember that today is Wednesday, February 9th, so if we want to talk about Saturday, February 12th we would say “IN 3 days.”

“I’m going to Hokkaido IN 3 days.” = 3 days from today.

What would we say for Sunday the 13th? That’s right! “IN 4 days.”

Remember it is also natural to simply use the day or date to share your future plans. We use the preposition ON when we talk about a specific DAY or DATE.

Day is talking about the days of the week – Monday to Sunday.
Date is talking about the day of the month – 1st, 14th, 22nd etc.

I’m going to Hokkaido on the 13th.

Chris has to work on Saturday.

Lucas will arrive on the 28th.

The 28th means THIS MONTH.
If a date follows the article THE, the speaker is talking about the current month.

We can use the preposition IN with other periods of time too.

Jason will be here IN about 10 minutes. = About 10 minutes from now.
We’re leaving IN an hour. = 1 hour from now.
I will go to Hokkaido IN 3 weeks. = 3 weeks from now.
I will graduate IN 2 months. = Two months from now.
My Dad will retire IN 4 years. = 4 years from now.

Learn more about the preposition “IN” HERE

Yesterday and The day before yesterday

Now past times, what do we call Tuesday, February 8th?
Yesterday!
Now, what do you think we call Monday, February 7th?
We say “the day before yesterday.”

“I went to Hokkaido the day before yesterday.”

BEFORE The day before yesterday

Before Monday, February 7th we count backward and use the word AGO.
Remember that today is Wednesday, February 9th, so if we want to talk about Sunday, February 6th we would say “3 days AGO.”