Yesterday, today, tomorrow, the day after, … are terms used so commonly during daily conversation that they are imperative to communication, especially if you are traveling in a new country and want to convey details about when you arrived, what you plan to do today, or where you will be headed tomorrow.

In Hindi, you have to remember only 2 simple words to convey these 3 time periods:

yesterday = कल (kal) today = आज (aaj) tomorrow = कल (kal)

Today: आज (aaj)

The usage of आज is relative straightforward. Remember, an event could have already happened today, could be happening as we speak, or could happen in the future before the day ends. Thus, all three tenses could be used in conjunction with आज .

Here are some examples using आज .

I slept a lot today afternoon.

मैं आज दोपहर में बहुत सोई।

Main aaj dopahar mein bahut soyi. Today , I am studying for my test.

आज मैं परीक्षा की पढ़ाई कर रही हूँ ।

Aaj main pareeksha ki padhaai kar rahi hoon. Today we will watch a movie.

आज हम सिनेमा देखेंगे।

Aaj hum cinema dekhenge.

Tomorrow: कल (kal)

कल is used in conjunction with the future.

I will meet my grandmother (maternal) tomorrow .

कल मैं नानी से मिलूँगी।

Kal main nani se miloongi. Tomorrow mom will cook my favorite food.

कल माँ मेरे पसंद का खाना बनाएगी।

Kal maa mere pasand ka khana banaaegi. My train to Pune leaves tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m.

पुणे के लिए मेरी गाडी कल दोपहर २ बजे निकलेगी।

Pune ke liye meri gaadi kal dopahar 2 baje niklegi.

Yesterday: कल (kal)

In Hindi, yesterday and tomorrow both share the same word कल . Only the past tense can be used in conjunction with कल (yesterday).

I arrived from London yesterday .

मैं कल लंदन से आयी।

Main kal London se aayi. Yesterday was a holiday.

कल छुट्टी थी।

Kal chutti thi. Dad forgot to eat his medicines yesterday .

पिताजी कल अपनी दवाई खाना भूल गए।

Pitaji kal apni davaai khana bhool gaye.