Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'Today', 'Tomorrow', and 'Yesterday' to anchor your sentences to the present, future, or past without needing specific dates.
- Use 'Today' for the current 24-hour period: 'Today is sunny.'
- Use 'Tomorrow' for the day after now: 'Tomorrow is Tuesday.'
- Use 'Yesterday' for the day before now: 'Yesterday was cold.'
Overview
today, tomorrow, yesterday에 대해 깊이 있게 알아보겠습니다.tomorrow는 화요일을 의미하지만, 수요일에 말하는 tomorrow는 목요일을 의미하게 됩니다. 한국어의 '오늘, 내일, 어제'와 개념적으로는 완벽하게 일치하기 때문에 우리 한국인 학습자들에게는 매우 친숙하게 다가오는 개념입니다.today, tomorrow, yesterday를 단순히 단어 뜻으로만 외우는 것이 아니라, 영어 문장 속에서 어떻게 자연스럽게 배치하고 활용하는지, 그리고 우리 한국인들이 무의식적으로 범하는 실수는 무엇인지 체계적으로 정리해 보겠습니다.today, tomorrow, yesterday는 문법적으로 '시간 부사(adverbs of time)'의 역할을 합니다. 부사란 동사나 형용사, 혹은 문장 전체를 수식하여 '언제, 어디서, 어떻게' 일어나는지를 설명해 주는 감초 같은 역할을 하죠. 이 단어들의 가장 큰 특징은 별도의 전치사(preposition) 없이 단독으로 쓰여서 '시간'을 나타낼 수 있다는 점입니다.오늘에 만나요라고 하기보다는 보통 «오늘 만나요»라고 합니다. 하지만
월요일에 만나요라고 할 때는 '에'라는 조사를 붙이죠. 영어도 이와 매우 흡사합니다.
on Monday처럼 요일 앞에는 on을 붙이지만, today, tomorrow, yesterday 앞에는 at, on, in과 같은 전치사를 절대 붙이지 않습니다. 이 단어들 자체가 이미 '그날에'라는 의미를 내포하고 있기 때문입니다.Yesterday | 어제 | 오늘보다 하루 전 | I studied English yesterday. |Today | 오늘 | 현재 포함된 날 | I am happy today. |Tomorrow | 내일 | 오늘보다 하루 후 | I will go to the gym tomorrow. |- 그저께:
the day before yesterday(어제 전날) - 모레:
the day after tomorrow(내일 다음 날)
the day(그날)인데 before yesterday(어제 전의) 날이라는 뜻이죠. 한국어의 단어 하나로 끝나는 '그저께'보다는 길지만, 원리를 이해하면 금방 익숙해질 수 있습니다.Yesterday (과거 시제와 함께)yesterday를 쓰면서 동사는 현재형을 쓰는 것입니다.- 예:
I go to the cafe yesterday.(X) →I went to the cafe yesterday.(O) - 상황 예시: 어제 친구와 강남역 카페에서 만났던 일을 회상할 때 사용합니다. «어제 커피 진짜 맛있었어»라고 말하고 싶다면,
The coffee was really good yesterday.라고 하면 됩니다.
Today (모든 시제 가능)today는 매우 흥미로운 단어입니다. 오늘이라는 24시간 안에 과거, 현재, 미래가 모두 들어있기 때문입니다.- 과거:
I had breakfast today.(오늘 아침에 이미 밥을 먹었을 때) - 현재:
I am busy today.(지금 현재 바쁜 상태일 때) - 미래:
I have a dinner meeting today.(오늘 저녁에 약속이 있을 때) - 상황 예시: 카톡으로 친구에게 «나 오늘 바빠»라고 할 때
I'm busy today.라고 하거나, 배달 앱으로 음식을 시키면서 «오늘 배달 진짜 빠르네»라고 할 때The delivery is very fast today.라고 표현할 수 있습니다.
Tomorrow (미래 시제와 함께)will이나 be going to와 같은 미래 표현과 함께 쓰입니다.- 예:
I will watch a movie tomorrow.(나 내일 영화 볼 거야.) - 상황 예시: 학원 선생님께 «저 내일은 못 와요»라고 정중하게 말씀드리고 싶을 때,
I cannot come tomorrow.라고 활용할 수 있습니다.
on이나 at으로 직역해서 붙이는 경우입니다.- 잘못된 표현:
I met him on yesterday. - 올바른 표현:
I met him yesterday. - 이유:
yesterday,today,tomorrow는 그 자체로 부사이기 때문에 전치사가 필요 없습니다. 마치 우리가 «내일에 봐요»라고 하지 않고 «내일 봐요»라고 하는 것과 비슷하다고 생각하세요.
- 잘못된 표현:
Yesterday went to the PC bang. - 올바른 표현:
I went to the PC bang yesterday. - 이유: 영어는 주어가 문장의 기둥 역할을 합니다. 시간을 나타내는 단어가 주어 자리를 대신할 수 없습니다(단, 'Today is Monday'처럼 오늘 자체가 주어인 경우는 제외).
Tomorrow와 Yesterday의 혼동tomorrow를 말하려다 yesterday가 튀어나오기도 하죠.- 팁:
Yes로 시작하는Yesterday는 이미 '네(Yes)'라고 대답할 수 있는 '지나간 일'이라고 외워보세요. 반면To-로 시작하는Tomorrow는 앞으로 다가올(To) 미래라고 생각하면 조금 더 구별하기 쉽습니다.
Today vs These days | Today는 오늘 하루만, These days는 요즘(최근의 기간)을 의미합니다. | I am tired today. (오늘 피곤해) / I am busy these days. (요즘 바빠) |Tomorrow vs The next day | Tomorrow는 말하는 시점 기준 내일, The next day는 과거의 특정 시점 기준 그다음 날입니다. | See you tomorrow. (내일 봐요) / He arrived on Monday and left the next day. (그는 월요일에 도착해서 그다음 날 떠났다) |Yesterday vs Last night | Yesterday는 어제 하루 전체, Last night은 어제 밤을 특정합니다. | I was at home yesterday. (어제 집에 있었어) / I watched a movie last night. (어제 밤에 영화 봤어) |today와 these days를 헷갈려 하는 경우가 많은데, 한국어에서도 «오늘 바빠»와 «요즘 바빠»가 다르듯이 영어에서도 기간의 길이에 따라 명확히 구분해서 사용해야 합니다.Today를 문장 맨 앞에 쓰면 틀리나요?Today, I have a lot of work.라고 쓸 수 있습니다. 다만, 영어에서는 중요한 정보(누가 무엇을 했는지)를 먼저 말하는 경향이 있어 I have a lot of work today.가 조금 더 일반적인 어순입니다. 문장 앞에 쓸 때는 쉼표(,)를 찍어주는 것이 좋습니다.today morning인가요?today morning이라는 표현보다는 this morning이라는 표현을 훨씬 더 많이 씁니다. 마찬가지로 «오늘 저녁»은 this evening 또는 tonight이라고 합니다. today를 써도 의미는 통하지만, this를 사용하는 것이 훨씬 자연스럽습니다.Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow는 대문자로 써야 하나요?Monday, Tuesday)은 항상 대문자로 시작하지만, today, tomorrow, yesterday는 일반 명사/부사이기 때문에 문장 중간에 올 때는 소문자로 씁니다. 오직 문장 맨 처음에 올 때만 첫 글자를 대문자로 씁니다.two days from now라고 표현하기도 합니다. 하지만 가장 표준적이고 정확한 표현은 the day after tomorrow입니다. 길어 보이지만 한 번 입에 익히면 리듬감이 있어서 말하기 즐거운 표현이 될 거예요.today, tomorrow, yesterday를 어떻게 사용하는지 감이 잡히시나요? 영어를 배울 때 가장 중요한 것은 '완벽함'보다 '시도'입니다. 오늘 배운 내용을 바탕으로 카톡 프로필 상태 메시지나 일기에 한 문장씩 적어보는 건 어떨까요? I studied English today! (나 오늘 영어 공부했어!) 처럼 말이죠. 여러분의 꾸준한 학습을 응원합니다! 쉽죠? 이렇게 하나씩 해나가면 됩니다.Verb Agreement with Time Words
| Time Word | Common Verb | Tense | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Yesterday
|
was / did / went
|
Past Simple
|
Yesterday was fun.
|
|
Today
|
is / am / are
|
Present Simple
|
Today is Tuesday.
|
|
Tomorrow
|
is / will be / am going to
|
Future
|
Tomorrow will be sunny.
|
Meanings
Words used to identify a specific day relative to the moment of speaking.
Current Day
The day that is happening right now.
“Today is my birthday.”
“What is the weather today?”
Next Day
The day that will occur after the current day ends.
“See you tomorrow!”
“Tomorrow will be better.”
Previous Day
The day that occurred before the current day started.
“Yesterday was Sunday.”
“I saw him yesterday.”
Reference Table
| 단어 | 의미 | 활용 예시 |
|---|---|---|
|
Today
|
현재 날짜 (오늘)
|
I have class `today`.
|
|
Tomorrow
|
오늘의 다음 날 (내일)
|
We will meet `tomorrow`.
|
|
Yesterday
|
오늘의 이전 날 (어제)
|
She studied `yesterday`.
|
|
Today
|
현재 시제와 함께
|
What are you doing `today`?
|
|
Tomorrow
|
미래 계획을 세울 때
|
Let's plan for `tomorrow`.
|
|
Yesterday
|
과거의 일을 말할 때
|
Did you see that movie `yesterday`?
|
|
Today
|
전치사 없이 단독 사용
|
I'm busy `today`.
|
|
Tomorrow
|
전치사 없이 단독 사용
|
He leaves `tomorrow`.
|
|
Yesterday
|
전치사 없이 단독 사용
|
They arrived `yesterday`.
|
격식 수준 스펙트럼
Are you available for a meeting tomorrow? (Scheduling)
Are you free tomorrow? (Scheduling)
You free tomorrow? (Scheduling)
Link up tomorrow? (Scheduling)
시간의 흐름 파악하기: 오늘, 내일, 어제
현재
- Today The current day
미래
- Tomorrow The day after today
과거
- Yesterday The day before today
시간 단어 활용 퀵 가이드
알맞은 시간 단어 고르기
지금 일어나고 있는 일인가요?
이미 일어난 일인가요?
우리가 배우는 시간 표현들
특정 하루를 나타낼 때
- • Today
- • Tomorrow
- • Yesterday
하루 중의 시간 (곧 배워요!)
- • morning
- • afternoon
- • evening
- • night
요일 표현 (곧 배워요!)
- • Monday
- • Tuesday
- • Wednesday
수준별 예문
Today is Monday.
I am happy today.
Yesterday was Sunday.
See you tomorrow!
It is hot today.
Tomorrow is my birthday.
I went to the park yesterday.
Are you working tomorrow?
Today is busier than yesterday.
I didn't see you yesterday.
What are we doing tomorrow?
I have a lot of work today.
Today's world is very digital.
I finished the project yesterday afternoon.
We need to prepare for tomorrow's presentation.
If it rains tomorrow, we will cancel the picnic.
Yesterday, I realized I forgot my keys.
I'll have the answer for you by tomorrow.
Yesterday's news is no longer relevant.
The decisions we make today will shape our tomorrow.
I was under the impression the deadline was yesterday.
Tomorrow marks the tenth anniversary of the company.
Having finished the work yesterday, I can relax today.
The weather forecast for tomorrow looks promising.
In the grand scheme of things, yesterday's failures are today's lessons.
The technology of tomorrow is being developed as we speak.
Should it rain tomorrow, the event will be moved indoors.
Yesterday saw a significant dip in the stock market.
We must not dwell on the ghosts of yesterday.
Today's youth are more socially conscious than ever.
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day.
The ephemeral nature of 'today' makes every moment precious.
To speak of 'yesterday' is to invoke a temporal construct that no longer exists.
The project, originally slated for completion yesterday, has been deferred indefinitely.
One might argue that tomorrow is merely a projection of today's anxieties.
Yesterday's avant-garde is today's kitsch.
혼동하기 쉬운
Learners use 'today' when they mean the evening hours.
Using 'tomorrow' in stories about the past.
Using 'yesterday night' instead of the standard 'last night'.
자주 하는 실수
I go yesterday.
I went yesterday.
On tomorrow is my birthday.
Tomorrow is my birthday.
Today morning I eat.
This morning I ate.
Yesterday is Sunday.
Yesterday was Sunday.
I will see you in tomorrow.
I will see you tomorrow.
Yesterday I have seen him.
Yesterday I saw him.
The tomorrow will be better.
Tomorrow will be better.
He said he will come tomorrow (in a past story).
He said he would come the next day.
I am working until tomorrow morning.
I am working until tomorrow.
Yesterday's of the company were better.
The company's past was better.
문장 패턴
Today is ___.
I ___ yesterday.
Are you ___ tomorrow?
Yesterday, I should have ___.
Real World Usage
Free tomorrow?
I will send the file today.
Tomorrow: Partly Cloudy
Yesterday's vote changed everything.
Your appointment is tomorrow at 10.
Throwback to yesterday! #TBT
문장에서의 위치는 자유로워요!
Tomorrow, I have an exam.
전치사는 절대 쓰지 마세요!
I went there yesterday.
다른 시간 단어와 조합해 보세요
I will call you tomorrow morning.
스몰 토크의 핵심 단어들
What are you doing today?
Smart Tips
Use 'tonight' instead of 'today evening'. It sounds much more natural.
Switch from 'tomorrow' to 'the next day' to keep the timeline consistent.
Add a comma to give the reader a small 'breath' and emphasize the time.
Remember: Yesterday = Was, Today = Is, Tomorrow = Will be.
발음
Today
The 'o' is a schwa sound /təˈdeɪ/. Don't say 'TOO-day'.
Tomorrow
Stress the second syllable /təˈmɒroʊ/. The first 'o' is also a schwa.
Yesterday
Stress the first syllable /ˈjɛstərdeɪ/.
Time Emphasis
YESTERDAY, I went. (Rising on Yesterday)
Emphasizing that the time is the most important part of the sentence.
암기하기
기억법
Y-T-T: Yesterday (Back), Today (Here), Tomorrow (Front).
시각적 연상
Imagine a sun. Yesterday, the sun set (behind you). Today, the sun is high (above you). Tomorrow, the sun will rise (in front of you).
Rhyme
Yesterday is gone and past, Today is here and moving fast, Tomorrow comes to us at last.
Story
I woke up Yesterday and felt old. I woke up Today and felt bold. I will wake up Tomorrow and be gold.
Word Web
챌린지
Write three sentences: one thing you did yesterday, one thing you are doing today, and one thing you will do tomorrow.
문화 노트
In US/UK business culture, 'tomorrow' is a strict deadline. If someone says 'by tomorrow,' they usually mean by 9:00 AM the next day.
The concept of 'Mañana' (tomorrow) can sometimes be more fluid in certain cultures, meaning 'in the future' rather than 'the literal next day'. In English, 'tomorrow' is almost always literal.
The phrase 'That is so yesterday' is a common idiom meaning something is out of style or no longer cool.
From Old English 'to dæge' (today), 'to morgenne' (tomorrow), and 'geostran dæg' (yesterday).
대화 시작하기
What did you do yesterday?
What are your plans for tomorrow?
How is your day going today?
If you could change one thing you did yesterday, what would it be?
일기 주제
자주 하는 실수
Test Yourself
tomorrow가 정답이에요.Yesterday 앞에는 전치사 'on'이 필요 없으며, 과거형 동사인 'went'가 쓰여야 합니다.today를 맨 뒤에 두어 완성합니다.Score: /3
연습 문제
8 exercisesI ___ a movie yesterday.
Today is Wednesday. ___ was Tuesday.
Find and fix the mistake:
I will see you on tomorrow.
busy / I / today / am
1. Yesterday, 2. Today, 3. Tomorrow
Select the natural sentence.
Are you going to the party ___?
___ weather is very cold.
Score: /8
Practice Bank
12 exercisesThe store is closed ___, so I can't buy groceries.
We had a meeting on tomorrow.
Which sentence is correct?
Translate into English: 'Trabajo hoy.'
Arrange these words into a sentence:
Match the actions with the correct time words:
Did you watch the game ___ night?
Tomorrow I went to the beach.
Which of these sentences is correct?
Translate into English: 'Ella estudiará mañana.'
Arrange these words into a sentence:
Match the time words to their categories:
Score: /12
자주 묻는 질문 (8)
It is better to say `last night`. While people will understand you, `last night` is the standard expression.
It can be both! In 'Tomorrow is Monday,' it is a noun. In 'I will go tomorrow,' it is an adverb.
Yes, it is common to put a comma after a time word at the beginning: `Yesterday, I went to the store.`
Yes, in a general sense, it can mean 'nowadays' or 'in this era'. Example: `Today, technology is everywhere.`
In English, relative time words like `today`, `tomorrow`, and `yesterday` act as adverbs that already include the 'on' meaning within them.
There isn't a single common word like 'tomorrow'. We just say `the day after tomorrow`.
We say `the day before yesterday`. Some old books use 'ereyesterday,' but no one says that now!
No. `Tomorrow` is for the future. You must use a future verb like 'will' or 'is going to'.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Hoy, Mañana, Ayer
English never uses 'the' with these words (e.g., not 'the tomorrow').
Aujourd'hui, Demain, Hier
French doesn't use prepositions either, making the transition to English easy.
Heute, Morgen, Gestern
English distinguishes 'tomorrow' from 'morning' clearly.
Kyō, Ashita, Kinō
Japanese doesn't require verb tense changes as strictly as English does.
Al-yawm, Ghadan, Ams
Arabic speakers often try to say 'in the tomorrow' because of the preposition 'fi'.
Jīntiān, Míngtiān, Zuótiān
English requires tense agreement (was/is/will be).
