Phrase for today.

Question

Hello, I haven't seen the phrase "Hoy en día" before, is this common usage and when is it most useful to use rather than just Hoy.Thanks

Accepted Answer

Hola Paul
Exactly as John said!
A synonym for "Hoy en día" would be "En la actualidad...". It is very common, you will hear it all the time. Although more formal, we also have "Hoy día..." or "A día de hoy..."

Hoy en día/ En la actualidad la mayoría de la gente usa el móvil para todo.
Nowadays most people use their mobile phone for everything.

Hoy en día/En la actualidad existe mucha cultura de consumismo.
Nowadays there is a culture of consumerism.

Saludos
Inma

Answer

Hi Paul,I've always seen it used as "nowadays" or "these days" for example "Nowadays, a lot of people never buy a newspaper." It definitely does translate as "today' but with the perspective of "in these times." In contrast, hoy is simply today - "Hoy es el sábado."I  hope that helps. I'm sure Inma can improve on this. John