6

Google Translate says

Nun wird ein Tag

but I think it does not feel correct. Can we just say "Heute..."?
Are there any other ways to say this?

Example:

Now a days smartphones are very common.

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5
  • Please avoid multiple rollbacks without further improving the content. For a dicussion whether a spelling mistake should stay in the title or not please go to: meta.german.stackexchange.com/questions/655/…. Thank you.
    – Takkat
    Commented Apr 7, 2014 at 11:19
  • 1
    @Takkat Sorry, I disagree here. The spelling mistake is an integral part of the problem here, so it is a must that the question remains as it is.
    – Thorsten Dittmar
    Commented Apr 16, 2014 at 14:31
  • @ThorstenDittmar: if you need to discuss this issue please do so in the apporpriate meta thread (see above). Here it is not the right place for doing so. Please also note, that not a single answer including the accepted answer says anything on this spelling mistake. This makes me believe it is not really that important.
    – Takkat
    Commented Apr 16, 2014 at 14:43
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    @Takkat Well, the question would not have come up without it, would it, but yes, I'll keep the discussion to the meta thread.
    – Thorsten Dittmar
    Commented Apr 17, 2014 at 6:45
  • I vote to close this question, because »now a days« is not correct English, and the correct spelling »nowadays« is easily found in any general dictionary, including google translate.
    – Philipp
    Commented Oct 22, 2018 at 9:32

4 Answers 4

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28

Heutzutage is directly equivalent.

Heutzutage verwendet man Smartphones.

Another alternative:

Heute verwendet man Smartphones.

This is not 100% the same when used without a context like früher.

There is another closely linked possibility:

Zurzeit verwendet man Smartphones.

This would change the meaning though, since it implies that the situation might end and I doubt anybody can imply that.

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6
  • Heute has a slightly different meaning as well, it emphasizes the today i.e. it may well be different tomorrow. Heutzutage references a larger time span (more like "these days").
    – Frerich Raabe
    Commented Apr 3, 2014 at 10:51
  • Yes, but in my experience this is becoming uncommon. Even in the news I've heard "Heute xxxx man yyyy"
    – Portree Kid
    Commented Apr 3, 2014 at 10:57
  • I don't have the impression that it becomes uncommon to distinguish between Heute and Heutzutage, but it's true that the two words are almost synonymous heutzutage (pun intended) in the actual context which is something like "Frueher war X, heute ist Y." i.e. it's very clear that heute does not actually mean the current day, but it contrasts with Frueher.
    – Frerich Raabe
    Commented Apr 3, 2014 at 11:02
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    Having lived in Germany for 40 Years I do have the feeling that the usage of the German Language is becoming sloppier. But you are right I'll correct my answer accordingly.
    – Portree Kid
    Commented Apr 3, 2014 at 11:06
  • 2
    Finally another human having the impression that German gets sloppier nowadays (ergh -- heutzutage).
    – TheBlastOne
    Commented Apr 3, 2014 at 13:39
18

Sorry to interrupt, but the English expression is not now a days, but nowadays, which directly translates to "heutzutage" or "heute" or "in der heutigen Zeit". Keep going.

As obviously this is requested in the comments, I'm going to pick up your example, which should be corrected to:

Nowadays smartphones are very common

And could be translated as

Heutzutage sind Smartphones sehr gebräuchlich
Heute sind Smartphones sehr gebräuchlich
In der heutigen Zeit sind Smartphones sehr gebräuchlich

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0
12

I think it's heutzutage – alternatives could be just heute, gegenwärtig or zurzeit.

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2
0

"Now a days" is not idiomatic English. Therefore, your example is not translatable, strictly speaking.

(If you really mean "nowadays", the answer would be "heutzutage" or any of the synonyms mentioned:

Heutzutage sind Smatphones / schlaue Mobiltelefone sehr üblich.

But that was not your question.)

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