Time phrases in Hindi: 5 phrases with pronunciation
Hindi uses one word, कल, for both yesterday and tomorrow, and परसों for both the day before and the day after. The tense of the verb is what tells you which direction you are pointing. It sounds impossible until you notice English does something similar with next Friday.
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“Today” in Hindi
आज
Aaj
“Today” in Hindi is आज, pronounced Aaj. आज is invariant and needs no preposition — आज मैं जा रहा हूँ, not आज को.
Example sentences
I am busy today.
मैं आज व्यस्त हूँ।
Main aaj vyast hoon.
What is today's date?
आज कौन सी तारीख़ है?
Aaj kaun si taareekh hai?
“Tomorrow” in Hindi
कल
Kal
“Tomorrow” in Hindi is कल, pronounced Kal. कल means both tomorrow and yesterday. Only the verb tense tells you which — कल आऊँगा is tomorrow, कल आया था is yesterday. This genuinely confuses learners and translation tools alike.
Example sentences
I will come tomorrow.
मैं कल आऊँगा।
Main kal aaunga.
I came yesterday.
मैं कल आया था।
Main kal aaya tha.
Formal, casual, and other variants
| Version | Hindi | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Tomorrow | कल (future verb)Kal aaunga | आऊँगा, जाएगा — future tense |
| Yesterday | कल (past verb)Kal aaya tha | आया था, गया था — past tense |
| Day after / before | परसोंParson | Also means both — two days either way |
Common mistake
Translating कल without looking at the verb tense gives you a 50% chance of saying the opposite of what you meant.
“Now” in Hindi
अभी
Abhi
“Now” in Hindi is अभी, pronounced Abhi. अभी is this instant; अब is now in the broader sense of "from this point on". अभी अभी means just a moment ago.
Example sentences
Come here right now.
अभी यहाँ आओ।
Abhi yahan aao.
He just left.
वह अभी अभी गया है।
Voh abhi abhi gaya hai.
“Later” in Hindi
बाद में
Baad mein
“Later” in Hindi is बाद में, pronounced Baad mein. बाद में is a vague later. For a specific interval, use थोड़ी देर बाद (after a little while) or an actual time.
Example sentences
I'll talk to you later.
मैं तुमसे बाद में बात करूँगा।
Main tumse baad mein baat karunga.
Come back after a little while.
थोड़ी देर बाद आना।
Thodi der baad aana.
“Every day” in Hindi
हर रोज़
Har roz
“Every day” in Hindi is हर रोज़, pronounced Har roz. हर means every. रोज़ on its own already implies daily, so रोज़ and हर रोज़ are both correct and interchangeable.
Example sentences
I go to the gym every day.
मैं हर रोज़ जिम जाता हूँ।
Main har roz gym jaata hoon.
This happens daily.
यह रोज़ होता है।
Yeh roz hota hai.
The grammar behind these phrases
- days, months and telling time — कल means both yesterday and tomorrow