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Today

Podcast 1 · Introduction
Documentary Narration
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Today

Single narrator · British English · ~90 s

In this course, today means on this day. This sense is built on tomorrow. One citation is the Cambridge English entry, and a second is the Cambridge learner entry. Encyclopaedic background is in Today.

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Podcast 2 · Daily Use
Everyday Conversation
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Today in Context

Two British speakers · ~150 s

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Podcast 3 · Prompt Engineering
Developer Tech Session
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Today — AI Prompting

Instructor + Student · ~160 s

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Transcript: “Today” vocabulary micro-course

Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Today for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.

Podcast 1 — Introduction & meaning

Narrator: The day we are living right now — this very day, not yesterday and not tomorrow.

Narrator: Today. Phonetically: tuh-DAY. IPA: /təˈdeɪ/.

Narrator: It works as both a noun and an adverb — today is busy, or I will do it today.

Narrator: As a noun, today is this present day; as an adverb, it means on this day.

Narrator: It can also mean the present time in general — young people today.

Narrator: The word comes from Old English to daege, meaning on this day, fused over centuries.

Narrator: That little to once meant on or at, and daege simply meant day.

Narrator: Over time the two words merged into the single, everyday word we use now.

Narrator: It is one of the most common words in English, spoken countless times a day.

Narrator: It is neutral and universal — warm in greetings, sharp in deadlines.

Narrator: Register: neutral and everyday — used in every kind of speech and writing.

Narrator: Today is simply now — the one day you actually get to live and act upon.

Read podcasts 2 and 3

Podcast 2 — In conversation

Speaker A: What's on your plate today, then?

Speaker B: Busy one — today I've got three meetings and a deadline at five.

Speaker A: Goodness. So today is the day the report's due?

Speaker B: Exactly. There I'm using today as a noun — this very day.

Speaker A: Right. And you'll finish it today, as in on this day.

Speaker B: Yes, that's the adverb sense. Funny how one word does both jobs.

Speaker A: It even means the present age — kids today and all that.

Speaker B: True. People say children today are glued to screens.

Speaker A: What's the difference between today and now?

Speaker B: Now is this exact moment. Today is the whole present day around it.

Speaker A: So I'd say I'm leaving now, but I'm leaving today if it's later.

Speaker B: Precisely. Any common mistake?

Speaker A: Writing to-day with a hyphen. That's old-fashioned now — just today, one word.

Speaker B: Spot on. Simple word, but worth getting right.

Podcast 3 — Prompt engineering

Speaker B: Today we use the word today in AI development prompts — it's perfect for date filtering, daily views, and live dashboards.

Speaker B: Today anchors a prompt to the current date — exactly what daily features and reports depend on.

Speaker B: First — a dashboard view.

Speaker B: Prompt one.

Speaker B: A today dashboard tells the AI to filter everything to the current date automatically.

Speaker A: A today dashboard showing only what's due today — that frames a daily view clearly. Memorable.

Speaker B: Date filtering now.

Speaker B: Prompt two.

Speaker A: A today filter for orders placed today — practical for any shop. Useful.

Speaker B: Database query prompt.

Speaker B: Prompt three.

Speaker A: A query counting users who signed up today — handy for tracking daily growth. Smart.

Speaker B: HR system prompt.

Speaker B: Prompt four.

Speaker A: A today attendance view flagging who hasn't clocked in — exactly what HR needs.

Speaker B: Reminder feature prompt.

Speaker B: Prompt five.

Speaker A: A today reminders panel sorted by time — keeps the day on track. Lovely.

Speaker B: Final — reporting prompt.

Speaker B: Prompt six.

Speaker A: A today summary compared to yesterday — that's a report leaders actually read.

Speaker B: Use today in prompts whenever you mean the current date, daily views, or live tracking. Simple, precise, and easy to recall.