I have a few sentences in the Present Simple with "today". I am going to give my understanding of them.
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For example, Bob is a guitar teacher. He has a student – Bill. Meanwhile, they don't have a schedule of their lessons. They meet up off and on after having arranged every lesson on the phone. Would it be OK for Bill to say this?
Bill: "This is Bill. Do we have a lesson today?" (Meaning, are we going to have a lesson today?)
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A similar scenario. Bill wants to enroll in guitar lessons. Today is going to be his first lesson. And he is asked by a friend of his
Friend: "What are you going to do today after school, Bill?"
Bill: "I have a guitar lesson today."
(Is that answer good? Or should it be "I am having a guitar lesson today?)
Another thing. Am I right to think that his friend may understand that Bill has a guitar lesson regularly on that day of the week? If today was a Sunday then it is possible to infer that Bill has a guitar lesson on Sundays?
It seems to me that "I have a guitar lesson today" may mean either a) it is a one-off lesson b) a regular lesson depending on context. Is my assumption correct?
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A conference takes place today at 2 PM. Now it is 9 AM. The conference is a one-off occasion. Is it OK to say "Guys, don't forget we hold a conference today at 2 PM."?
Best Answer
This is correct, kind of. Curiously, if Bill were the teacher and Bob the student, the question would sound a bit odd. But that's a whole different story. A better way of putting it would be "Are we still on for today?"
This is correct as well. Kind of. "I am having a guitar lesson today?" is wrong. That said, "I have a guitar lesson" sounds better. The "today" part is implied.
Would it be reasonable to assume that Bill has a guitar lesson regularly on that day of the week?
No, it would not.
Kind of. A better way of putting it would be "Guys, don't forget we have a conference at 2."