What date is it today?

英伦组合Sting曾经到香港开演唱会，身为歌迷当然是第一时间跑去购票。当拿着门票满心喜欢地准备进场时，带位小姐对我们说：You guys are very late.（你们迟得很），我们立刻看看手上的门券问道：What date is it today?（今天是几月几号？）噢 ! 原来我们迟来了一天。
有时候当你问今天是什么日子，别人常常不能掌握到底你是想问日期还是星期几。英文就有这个区别，如果用date表示问日期，用day表示问星期几，What day is it today?（今天是星期几？）。What date is it today?（今天是几月几号？）此外，Date除解作日期外，也可解作约会，I have a date tonight.（我今晚有个约会）。
对话
Ａ：Oh, my God!
Ｂ：Are you crazy? It's 4 o'clock in the morning.
Ａ：What date is it today?
Ｂ：Today's Monday.
Ａ：No, what date is it today?
Ｂ：It's August 1st.
Ａ：Got you.

甲：噢，我的天啊！
乙：你疯了吗？现在是凌晨4点钟。
甲：今天是什么日子？
乙：今天是星期一。
甲：不，今天是几多号？
乙：8月1日
甲：答对了。

‘今天是几号？’英文可以说：What's the date today? / What's today's date? / What's today? / What day of the month is (it) today?问‘昨天是几号？’则可说：What was the date yesterday?等。回答可以是Today is 28 July / It's 28 July / Today's date is 28 July.（今天是七月二十八日）。留意28 July说话时须读作the twenty-eighth of July。

Date是‘日期’。但只说年份也可用date字，例如：The coin bears the date 1800（硬币上的年份是一八零零年）。问人出生日期，同样可用date字：What's the date of your birth? / What date is your birthday?当然，你也可以问：When is your birthday?回答可以是It（或My birthday）is on 28 July。

‘今天是星期几？’英文有另一个说法：What day is (it) today? / What day of the week is it?问‘昨天是星期几？’则可说：What day was it yesterday?等。回答可以是Today's Monday（今天是星期一）之类。

一般人不会问‘今年是哪一年？’但如果要问，可以说：What year is this?回答当然是：This is 2003。留意2003英文读作two thousand and three。

英文有一句成语：The days are numbered。这不是说‘日子都有编号’，而是‘来日无多’的意思，往往用来说‘将死’或‘将被辞退’，例如：(1) The doctor said her days were numbered.（医生说她在世的日子不多了）。(2) His employment contract not renewed, his days at the company are numbered.（他不获续约，在公司的日子不多了）。