SPEAK LIKE A NATIVE |10 Common Time Expressions for Everyday English!

Hi there, this is Harry and welcome back to  Advanced English lessons with Harry where I  

try to help you to get a better understanding  of the English language. Try to help you  

to prove your conversational English, your  business English prepare for job interviews,  

we look at phrasal verbs, expressions, vocabulary,  pronunciation, whatever it takes to help you to  

improve. So in this advanced English lesson, we're  looking at expressions about time, okay, so it's  

advanced English, so you might not understand them  all. But try and understand as many as you can and  

practice them because that really, really makes  a difference. So when we're talking about time,  

there are two expressions that get people confused  a lot on time and in time. Okay, so just a quick  

explanation is the difference. Usually, when we're  talking about on time, it's relating to something  

that's scheduled, the train is on time, the train  is always on time. The bosses never on time, it's  

never there. When you want it, it tells you it  will arrive. The schedule says it will arrive at  

two o'clock and it's usually two or three or four  minutes late. But you have to be on time. So the  

train is arriving on time on platform number two.  Yes, sir. The aeroplanes are all on time, there's  

no no difficulty. So the plane will be on time it  will be landing as per the schedule. So when we're  

talking about schedule, we refer to on time or  even meetings on time, the meeting will start on  

time at two o'clock. And when we use in time, we  can use it in referring to matters like handing in  

a document. Am I in time to hand in the document?  Yes, yes. The deadline isn't until five o'clock.  

It's only three o'clock. So plenty of time. Yeah.  Am I in time for the match? Yeah, look, here's the  

football match starts at eight o'clock, you've  got time to do your homework, you've got time  

to have your dinner, then you can sit down  and relax and watch the match in time. Okay,  

so on time around the schedule in time for you to  hand in your project in time to do your homework,  

have your meal, and then sit back and watch the  football match on the television. Yeah. Okay,  

so on time in time. Remember, if you enjoyed this  particular lesson, then please like the video,  

and if you can subscribe to the channel, because  it really, really helps. Okay, now let's look  

at the particular expression. So we've got 10 of  them. I'll go through the list. And I'll go back  

and give you an example of each of them. Now, it's  about time. Well, we can use this in lots of ways  

call. What time is it now? Six o'clock? Well, it's  about time you got home because I've been waiting  

here. Your dinner has been on the table for that.  15 minutes. Where have you been? It's about time  

you got your hair cut. Look at the length of it.  Yeah, have the teachers not complained. It's about  

time you tidied up your room. I haven't seen you  take that vacuum cleaner to the closet for weeks  

and weeks and weeks than the last time I looked in  your room. It was a terrible state. So these are  

the situations when we might use it's about time a  parent trying to get their child or their children  

to improve their workload at the home and to  help around the house. It's about time now. Okay,  

or perhaps the City Council or the government  finally announced that that offer building in  

the centre of the city is going to be demolished.  And they're going to build a new shopping centre.  

After it's about time. How long have we been  living in this city? 15 years of building has been  

empty. It's an absolute eyesore. So it's about  time they pulled it down and put up something a  

little bit more artistic, and something with  some architectural merit. It's about time.  

Take your time. Well, we use this expression a lot  when we don't want people to hurry. Don't worry,  

take your time. Yeah. So I'll be there  in 15 minutes. It's okay. If you're a  

few minutes late. I understand that no other  meetings after this. So just take your time.  

When would you like to have this paper? Well,  look, it's really up to you. I don't need it  

urgently. But you know, just take your time  get it right. The important thing is to get it  

right. And if it's a few days, that's okay.  Just send me a mail when you think you're  

getting close to it. Please take your time.  Okay. So if somebody is getting into a car,  

and they they've, they're a bit late for the  meeting, the traffic's gonna be bad. Somebody  

might say Look, don't worry about it. Just take  your time. Don't drive too fast. You might have  

an accident, you know if the traffic's heavy  is nothing you can do just take your time.  

spare time. Well, when we have spare time or time  to spare, it means we've got free time. Yeah. So  

your friend might have asked you, can you help  him at the weekend? He's doing some painting. He  

wants to move the furniture out of the apartment  or into another room and he needs somebody to help  

him. You said, yeah, no problem. I've got plenty  of spare time at the weekend. I'm doing nothing.  

When do you want me to come around? Yeah. So on  to the next and all the time in the world? Well,  

that really means you got plenty of time on your  hands. You have nothing. That's pressurising you,  

you can do whatever you want, whenever you want to  do it. i Yes, I've got all the time in the world  

now. Sure. I'm retired and active. I've got plenty  of energy. But I've got all the time in the world,  

I think I'd take over a new sport. I always  wanted and always enjoyed cycling. So I think  

I'd take it up a little bit more seriously.  Or, in fact, I think I'll do some extra  

classes, a little bit of study and English  literature or something, but not for any  

purpose just to enjoy myself. So I've got all the  time the world what else would I be doing? That's  

what our retirement is about. You got all the time  in the world, and nice and relaxed, no stresses,  

nobody putting any pressure on me other than  myself. Okay, all the time in the world.  

To do time, well, to do time is a little bit  different. When people do time, it's usually  

a euphemism for spending time in prison. Okay, so  if somebody gets arrested for serious crime, they  

go in front of the judge, they get found guilty,  and then the sentences for three for 10 years in  

prison. They do time. Yeah. And when they come out  of prison, somebody might ask the question, well,  

what were you doing time for? Or what did you do  time for asking, the reason why they were sent to  

prison. So to do time, is another way of saying  they spent time in prison, they spent time in  

jail, they were incarcerated, which is a very fun  way to explain somebody was thrown into prison, so  

to do time, is to spend time in prison because of  something you were found guilty of doing robbing,  

or stealing, or whatever it might have been. Okay,  so to do time, for the time being, okay, well,  

when we use that expression, for the time being,  it means for now, but we might change later on,  

okay. So if somebody comes into the office, or  new recruit somebody who's just joining the firm,  

or perhaps a graduate, you might say, look, for  the time being, just take that desk there, there's  

somebody on holidays, they're going to be back  in a couple of weeks, but we'll find you another  

place to sit before then. So for the time being  mean, in the interim, just sit there, for the  

time being, Philip has gone to look after you. So  if you've got any problems, just ask Philip, he's  

the head of the department, he's your go to person  for any problems you have. For the time being, the  

school is going to close because of the pandemic.  So these are instructions, lots of parents got  

over the last couple of years where there were  problems with the school relating to this awful  

virus. So for the time being, the school, school  has to close and we'll notify you later, when  

the school will reopen. Of course, classes are  going to be held on line. So for the time being,  

the children will be educated remotely, they'll  be educated online using zoom, or teams or one of  

these other platforms. So for the time being, so  for the time being means momentarily, temporarily,  

or for a shorter time, not permanent, okay, so  for the time being and remember that b m b e i  

n g for the time being time after time as a as  a famous song, and of course, they always have  

forgotten who sang it, but there's a line  in time after time, time after time. Okay,  

so there's a time after time means repeat it. So  when something repeats, time after time, I have to  

tell the kids not to play football in the garden.  They're gonna break a window and guess what,  

yeah, the ball came through the window, we're  gonna have to repair it again, time after time,  

meaning I'm constantly telling them time after  time when I leave the house on a Friday morning,  

I get stuck in traffic. It's I don't know. I  think I'll just either leave early, or in fact, I

think I'll ask the boss, can I work remotely  on a Friday. Time after time. Yeah. So time  

after time is when we repeat some thing, time  after time we tell somebody not to do something.  

Time after time, the same thing happens. And so  it's it shouldn't be a surprise. Okay, so time  

after time. Time's up. Okay, well, when  time's up, that's it. It's over. Oh,  

that time's up. The lesson is over. Hope you  enjoyed it. Okay. Time's up, the game should be  

over now. And perhaps the referee is going to play  a few minutes of extra time. So we're watching our  

football match. And we're waiting for the match  to end because our team is winning one nil,  

and we're a little bit on edge times up this,  the whistle should be going any minute now. So  

perhaps the referee is playing some extra time  or injury time. So we are waiting and waiting  

for the game to be over so that we can celebrate  Yeah, time's up. Yeah. Or in an exam situation,  

the examiner might give you a warning that you're  a five minute warning that the the exam will be  

over in another five minutes. And then when  it gets to that 11 o'clock, or one o'clock,  

is it okay, that's it, time's up, please put down  your pen, stop writing, and hand your papers in,  

on the way out. Okay, so times up mean, it's over,  it's finished, it's completed. And then finally,  

time is on your side. Ha, I wish well, when you're  young time is on your side. And as we get a little  

bit older, we wish that we had more time on our  side, it means more time to do something. Now,  

it could be something that you're preparing for  the end of the term. So the teacher gives you  

plenty of warning that you have to submit your  project by me, but time is on your side, it's  

only February now. So plan it out, plan out what  you want to do set yourself certain milestones  

so that when you get them, it's not a shock. Don't  leave it until the last minute, please don't leave  

it until the beginning of May. Because you'll only  make mistakes. And then you run out of time and  

time will not be on your side. But at the moment,  time is on your side, meaning you've got plenty of  

time to work it out to prepare it and get it done  properly. Okay. But as we get older, Time is not  

on our side, we get a little bit anxious. We want  to retire like me. And we're going to run out of  

time. And we're hoping to get the things done that  we want to get done. Oh yeah, no, but I need to  

get this done before autumn or I need to get this  done before the winter. So time is not on my side.  

If the wet weather comes and I haven't repaired  that garage roof or I haven't repaired the window,  

well, then we're going to get some cold air or  rain in and it's going to cause problems. So I'm  

against the clock time is not on my side. Okay, so  hopefully you understand all of those particular  

expressions. As I said, they're expressions  about time, we've got 10 of them. So I'll give  

them to you again, any problems come back to  me. I'll give you some more examples. So here  

we go. It's about time. Okay, it's about time.  Take your time, plenty of time. Take your time.  

spare time or time to spare time on  your hands all the time in the world  

to do time, for the time being. Time after time,  as I said the song says time after time. Time's  

up. And then finally, time is on your side time is  on your side. So 10 advanced expressions relating  

to and about time, practice them, try them, see  how you get on with them. Come back to me if you  

need some more examples. And as always, thanks for  listening. Thanks for watching. Join me again soon