शैडोइंग अभ्यास: Talking About Time in English | Easy English Podcast - YouTube के साथ अंग्रेजी बोलना सीखें

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Everyday English Academy,

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Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Everyday English Academy,

where we make English simple, fun, and super practical.

I'm Sarah.

And I'm Mike.

Hello to all of you amazing listeners out there.

How's everyone doing today?

We are so excited to be here with you.

Mike, I have to tell you something funny that happened to me last week.

Oh, what happened?

Okay, so my friend sent me a text message.

She said, I'm leaving now.

See you in a bit.

Okay, sounds normal.

So I thought, oh great,

she'll be here soon, right?

In a bit means soon,

so I got ready quickly,

I waited by the door,

and I waited, and I waited.

How long did you wait?

Mike, she arrived two hours later.

What?

Two hours is not a bit.

Exactly.

I was so confused.

When she finally arrived, I said,

you said in a bit,

and she just laughed and said, yeah, a bit.

Oh, wow.

You know what?

The exact same thing happened to me.

My colleague told me the meeting will start any minute now.

Let me guess.

It didn't start any minute.

It started 40 minutes later.

I was sitting there, refreshing my computer,

thinking, any minute, any minute, nothing.

This is why we need today's episode.

We're going to talk about time in English.

All the expressions, all the phrases,

all the confusing little words that native speakers use.

Because honestly, talking about time is something we do every single day.

What time is it?

When are you coming?

How long will it take?

And if you don't understand these expressions,

you might end up waiting for two hours like me.

Exactly.

So today, we're covering everything from basic clock time to fun idioms about time.

And before we jump in,

we have a quick request for you wonderful people.

Yes, if you're enjoying Everyday English Academy,

please hit that subscribe button.

Please subscribe and give us a like.

It really helps us reach more English learners around the world.

And share this episode with your friends.

Learning English together is more fun.

Thank you so much.

Now, Mike, let's start with the basics.

How do we actually tell the time?

Ah, yes, the clock.

This is important.

Let me ask you, Sarah,

what time is it right now?

Well, right now it's 3.15,

or we can say it's quarter past 3.

Perfect.

So quarter past means 15 minutes after the hour.

Yes.

Think about it.

A quarter is one-fourth, right?

One-fourth of 60 minutes is 15 minutes.

Exactly.

So if it's 2.15, we say quarter past 2.

If it's 7.15, we say quarter past 7.

Easy.

Now, what about 30 minutes?

What if it's 3.30?

Oh, that's half past three.

Half of 60 minutes is 30 minutes.

Right.

We say half past instead of 30 past.

You could say 3.30, but native speakers love to say half past three.

It sounds more natural, more conversational.

I'll meet you at half past six.

Beautiful.

Now, Mike, what about when it's 15 minutes before the hour, like 2.45?

Ah, that's quarter to 3.

Yes.

Quarter to means 15 minutes before the next hour.

So 4.45 is quarter to 5.

8.45 is quarter to 9.

This confused me so much when I first learned English,

because in my head, I thought,

why are we talking about the next hour?

It's still 4 o'clock.

I know, but native speakers think forward.

We're almost at the next hour,

so we say quarter to five.

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It makes sense now, but at first, confusing.

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Totally.

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Now here's another useful word, sharp.

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Ooh, yes, sharp.

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This is important.

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If someone says, meet me at three o'clock sharp, what does that mean?

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It means exactly three o'clock,

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not 305, not 302, exactly three o'clock.

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It's like saying, be on time,

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don't be late, I mean it.

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Yes, it's very precise, very strict about the time.

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I use this at work all the time.

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The meeting starts at 9 a.m sharp.

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It tells people this is serious.

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Be there exactly at 9.

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Now, what if you don't want to be so precise?

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Ah, then we use around or about.

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Yes.

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I'll be there around 5 o'clock,

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or I'll arrive about 3.30.

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This means approximately, more or less,

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maybe 5.05, maybe 4.55, somewhere near that time.

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It's more relaxed, more casual.

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Let's meet around lunchtime.

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Perfect.

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So we have sharp for exact time and around or about for approximate time.

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Got it.

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Now, Sarah, let's talk about the past.

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How do we talk about things that happened before?

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Oh, this is where English gets fun.

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We have so many expressions.

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Let's start with one of my favorites, ages ago.

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Ages ago.

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I love this one.

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If I say, I watched that movie ages ago, what do I mean?

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You mean a long time ago.

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A very long time.

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Exactly.

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But here's the thing.

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It's dramatic.

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It might not be that long ago.

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Right.

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You might have watched it three months ago,

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but you say ages ago because it feels like a long time.

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Native speakers are very dramatic about time.

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We really are.

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When did you eat?

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Oh, ages ago.

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But maybe it was two hours ago.

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Exactly.

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We also say four ages.

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I haven't seen you for ages.

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Yes, four ages means for a long period of time.

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I've been waiting for ages.

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That could be my complaint about your friend.

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Sarah's been waiting for ages.

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Two hours is ages when you're standing by the door.

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Fair point.

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Now, what about the other day?

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Oh, the other day is useful,

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but also a bit vague.

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Vague means not specific, not clear.

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Right.

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The other day means recently.

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Maybe yesterday, maybe three days ago, maybe last week.

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It's somewhere in the recent past,

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but we're not giving the exact day.

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For example, I saw Tom the other day at the supermarket.

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Perfect.

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You don't remember exactly when, but it was recently.

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We also have back in the day.

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Ah, yes.

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This is nostalgic.

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It means in the past, usually many years ago.

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Back in the day, we didn't have smartphones.

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Back in the day, I used to walk to school.

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It makes you sound old,

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but it's a nice expression.

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It is.

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It's warm.

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It's about memories.

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Back in the day, life was simpler.

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I like it.

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Now, what about the present and near future?

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How do we talk about things happening now or very soon?

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Great question.

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Let's start with right now.

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Right now means at this exact moment.

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I'm busy right now.

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Can I call you later?

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Yes, or what are you doing right now?

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We also say at the moment.

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It's very similar.

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At the moment is maybe slightly more formal,

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but it means the same thing.

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I'm working on a project at the moment.

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Sorry, I can't talk at the moment.

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Perfect.

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Now, here's where it gets tricky.

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In a bit and in a sec.

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The phrases that caused my two-hour wait.

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Exactly.

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So let's clarify.

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In a bit means soon, in a short time.

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But how short?

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That's the question.

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Well, it depends.

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Maybe five minutes, maybe 30 minutes.

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Maybe two hours, if you're my friend.

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True.

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In a sec is supposed to be even shorter.

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Sec is short for second,

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so in a sec should mean in one second.

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Should mean that, but doesn't.

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Right.

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In a sec could mean five minutes.

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The point is, both expressions mean soon, but they're not exact.

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So, if someone says, in a bit,

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don't stand by the door for two hours like me.

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Good advice.

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Now, any minute now is another one.

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Any minute now means very soon.

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We're expecting it to happen.

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The bus should arrive any minute now.

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She'll call any minute now.

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But again, any minute might mean 10 minutes.

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English is so frustrating sometimes.

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It is, but that's why we're here, explaining everything.

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Exactly.

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Now let's talk about urgency,

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when we're in a hurry, when time is important.

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Yes, one of the best expressions is in the nick of time.

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Oh, I love this one.

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In the nick of time means at the last possible moment,

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just before it's too late.

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For example, I arrived at the airport in the nick of time.

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The gate was about to close.

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Perfect.

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Or, the firefighters arrived in the nick of time and saved the building.

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It's dramatic, it's exciting, just in time.

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We also say running out of time.

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Yes, this means time is finishing.

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We don't have much time left.

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Hurry up, we're running out of time.

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I'm running out of time to finish this project.

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It creates pressure, urgency.

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We need to act fast.

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Another useful one is save time.

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Save time means to do something faster or more efficiently.

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If you prepare your clothes the night before,

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you'll save time in the morning.

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Taking the train saves time compared to driving.

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It's about being smart with your time, not wasting it.

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Exactly.

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Now, Sarah, let's get to the fun part, idioms.

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Yes, time idioms are everywhere in English.

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First one, time flies.

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Time flies means time passes very quickly.

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Wow, it's already December.

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Time flies.

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We often say, time flies when you're having fun.

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That's so true.

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When you enjoy something, time goes fast.

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But when you're bored, time goes so slowly.

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Exactly.

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Which brings us to kill time.

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Kill time means to do something while you wait, to pass the time.

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I arrived early, so I killed time by reading a book.

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We killed time at the cafe before the movie started.

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It's about filling empty time with an activity.

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Right.

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And finally, about time.

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Oh, this one's interesting.

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About time means finally, at last.

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We use it when something should have happened earlier, but it's happening now.

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For example, you're finally here.

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It's about time.

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Or they fixed the road.

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About time.

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It's a bit sarcastic, a bit frustrated, but also relieved.

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Like, this should have happened a long time ago.

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Exactly.

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Now, let's practice all of these in a natural conversation.

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Great idea.

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Okay, Mike, imagine we're making plans.

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I'll start.

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Hey, Mike, what time should we meet tomorrow?

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How about half past two?

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Half past two?

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That's perfect.

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Where should we meet?

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Let's meet at the cafe on Main Street.

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But please be there at 2.30 sharp.

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Last time you said in a bit and I waited for ages.

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Okay, okay.

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I promise I'll be on time.

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I'll probably arrive around 2.25.

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Perfect.

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Oh, by the way, did you watch that new show I recommended?

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The one you told me about the other day?

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Not yet.

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I've been running out of time this week.

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No worries.

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We can talk about it when we meet.

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Time flies, doesn't it?

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I feel like we just hung out yesterday,

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but it was actually two weeks ago.

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I know.

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Time really does fly.

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Okay, I'll see you tomorrow at half past two sharp.

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See you then.

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Perfect.

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See how naturally these expressions fit into conversation?

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They're everywhere once you start noticing them.

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Absolutely.

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So, Mike, before we finish today,

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do you have any tips for our listeners?

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I do.

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My first tip is to listen carefully when native speakers talk about time.

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Yes.

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Pay attention to the phrases they use,

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not just the literal time.

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Exactly.

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When someone says, in a bit,

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notice how long they actually mean.

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Learn from my mistake.

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Right.

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My second tip is to practice these expressions out loud.

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Don't just read them, say them.

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Yes.

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Say, I'll be there in a sec.

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Or, time flies.

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Practice makes perfect.

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My tip is to use these in your daily life,

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even if you're talking to yourself.

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Talking to yourself is great practice.

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It is.

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Look at the clock and say, it's quarter past three.

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Or, I need to leave in a bit.

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Perfect.

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The more you use them,

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the more natural they become.

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Well, everyone, we've reached the end of today's episode.

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Time really does fly.

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It does.

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We could talk about time for ages,

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but we're running out of time.

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Look at us using all the expressions.

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Before we go, we have a question for all of you listening.

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Yes, here's today's question.

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What's your favorite time expression that we talked about today?

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Is it time flies?

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In the nick of time?

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Ages ago?

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Tell us in the comments.

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Write one or two sentences using your favorite expression.

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For example, my favorite is time flies because it's so true.

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Time flies when I'm learning English.

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We read every single comment and we love hearing from you.

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And if you enjoyed this episode,

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please subscribe to Everyday English Academy.

361

Hit that subscribe button so you don't miss our future conversations.

362

Give this episode a like and share it with your friends who are learning English.

363

Thank you so much for being here with us today.

364

You're doing an amazing job with your English.

365

Keep going, keep practicing.

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Now you can talk about time like a native speaker.

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Take care of yourselves, everyone.

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We'll see you very soon.

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Until next time, happy learning!

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Goodbye everyone!

371

Bye!

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