heute
today · nowadays, these days
Means 'today' and refers to the current day. It is used in everyday speech to talk about things happening now or later on the same day. Germans also combine it with times of day, like 'heute Morgen' (this morning) or 'heute Abend' (tonight).
What heute means
- today — referring to the current day
- nowadays, these days — talking about the present era in contrast to the past
Heard in real German videos
Lines where heute was actually spoken, from German videos watched with DeutschChat.
- Oma und Opa Fuchs kommen heute.Grandma and Grandpa Fox are coming today.
- Hattet ihr alle Spaß heute, Kinder?Did you all have fun today, kids?
- Heute wird Geschichte geschrieben.Today, history will be written.
Example sentences
- Heute ist ein schöner Tag.Today is a beautiful day.
- Ich habe heute keine Zeit.I have no time today.
- Heute Morgen hat es geregnet.It rained this morning.
- Heute Abend gehen wir ins Kino.We are going to the cinema tonight.
Common phrases
- heute Morgenthis morning
- heute Abendtonight, this evening
- heute Nachttonight (during the night)
- bis heuteuntil today, so far
- ab heutefrom today on
The mistake English speakers make
English speakers often say 'heute Morgen' as two words but forget to capitalize 'Morgen'. In German, time expressions like 'Morgen', 'Abend', 'Nacht' are capitalized when used with 'heute'.
Don’t confuse it with
- morgen — 'Morgen' (capitalized) means 'morning', while 'morgen' (lowercase) means 'tomorrow'. 'heute Morgen' means 'this morning', not 'tomorrow morning'.
Questions learners ask
What is the difference between 'heute' and 'heutig'?
'Heute' is an adverb meaning 'today'. 'Heutig' is an adjective meaning 'today's' or 'of today', e.g., 'die heutige Zeitung' (today's newspaper).
How do you say 'tonight' in German?
You can say 'heute Abend' for the evening, or 'heute Nacht' for the night. For example, 'Wir sehen uns heute Abend' (See you tonight).
Is 'heute' capitalized in German?
No, 'heute' is an adverb and is written in lowercase, except at the beginning of a sentence. However, when combined with a time of day, the time word is capitalized: 'heute Morgen'.