The correct way to describe what you worked on today
Wrong
“Today I work on the report.”
Correct
“Today I worked on the report.”
Use “worked on” when you are talking about a task you did earlier today or during the working day so far. Even though the word “today” refers to the present day, the action itself is already finished or happened before the moment of speaking.
Why Arabic speakers make this mistake
In Arabic, you can often use time words and context to show whether something happened today without changing the verb in the same way English does. Arabic speakers may translate the idea directly and say “Today I work on...” because “today” feels present. In English, the verb tense still needs to show whether the action is completed, happening now or repeated regularly.
Use the correct version in real professional situations
Daily stand-up meeting
“Today I worked on the new onboarding flow, and I will continue testing it tomorrow.”
End-of-day message to your manager
“Hi Sara, today I worked on the sales report and updated the numbers for Q3.”
Job interview
“In my last role, I often worked on process improvements, and today I would describe one example from a finance project.”
Project update call
“This morning, I worked on the integration issue and found the main cause.”
Email to a client
“Today, we worked on the revised proposal and added the details you requested.”
Why does this matter in a professional context?
In a meeting, interview or daily update, “Today I work on...” can sound unfinished or unclear. The listener may understand your meaning, but the sentence can make your English sound less controlled than your actual professional ability. When you say “Today I worked on...”, you show that you can report completed work clearly. This small tense choice helps you sound organised, confident and precise when you describe progress to managers, clients or interviewers.
Ready-to-use phrases for daily work updates
“Today I worked on...”
Use this for a task you did earlier today.
“This morning, I worked on...”
Use this when the task happened earlier in the day.
“I worked on it for about two hours.”
Use this when you want to explain time spent on a task.
“I worked on the first part, but I still need to finish the rest.”
Use this when part of the task is complete and part is still pending.
“I have been working on...”
Use this when the task started earlier and is still continuing now.
“I am working on it now.”
Use this only when the task is happening at the moment of speaking.
What to say instead
What many Arabic speakers say
“Today I work on the proposal.”
It uses the present simple, which sounds like a regular habit or responsibility, not a task completed today.
What to say instead
“Today I worked on the proposal.”
It uses the past tense to show that the work happened earlier today.
Other phrases to double-check
- •Yesterday I work on or yesterday I worked on?
- •I am working since morning or I have been working since morning?
- •I finished the task or I have finished the task?
- •I did a meeting or I had a meeting?
- •I discussed about the project or I discussed the project?
- •I sent for you the file or I sent you the file?