November 21, 2024 • 11 mins
We're back!
Learn English by taking this fun and useful English lesson that explores 10 idioms all related to time.
Use these idioms to sound more natural in English when speaking.
RESOURCES FOR LEARNING ENGLISH (Note: more coming soon!)
Speaking method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7PGRbvJBkQ
Writing method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDkiY1lcfgw
Learn English by taking this fun and useful English lesson that explores 10 idioms all related to time.
Use these idioms to sound more natural in English when speaking.
RESOURCES FOR LEARNING ENGLISH (Note: more coming soon!)
Speaking method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7PGRbvJBkQ
Writing method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDkiY1lcfgw
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is Jack from to Fluency and I am back
back with an English lesson here on YouTube or Apple Podcasts,
Spotify wherever you are watching or listening to this. Today,
we're going to talk about ten English idioms about time.
(00:22):
Not only will you understand what they mean, but you'll
also listen to some examples so you can better understand
them and how to use them, and will do so
in a way where you can practice your English listening.
If you are new to the channel or the podcast,
be sure to subscribe, share this with your friends, and
(00:44):
then check out the description for some really useful English
learning resources so that you can take your English to
the next level. Now, with that out of the way,
let's go into number one. Number one is time flies,
and more specifically, you'll hear this when people say time
(01:08):
flies when you're having fun. Time flies when you're having fun,
and this is one of the most popular idioms about time.
It means that time seems to move quickly when you
are enjoying yourself. So imagine this. You're having a great
time at a party, laughing, chatting with friends, and dancing.
(01:31):
Suddenly you check your watch or your phone and realize
it's already midnight, you say, wow, time flies when you're
having fun. Time flies when you're having fun. Think of
a time when hours felt like minutes. Was it during
a holiday, Was it when you were playing a sport,
(01:54):
or maybe when you had a fantastic conversation with somebody.
In that moment, time was flying, and you could say
time flies when you're having fun. Number two is killing time.
Killing time. Now, we use this idiom when we're spending
(02:14):
time doing something unimportant while waiting for something else. For example,
I was at the airport three hours early, so I
just walked around the shops to kill time. So kill
time is to do something that isn't the main focus
of what you want to be doing. But it's when
you're waiting at the doctor's office, You're waiting for a
(02:36):
friend to show up somewhere, so you kill time doing
something else. What is your go to activity for killing time?
What do you normally do when you kill time? Maybe
it's scrolling on your phone she's very popular, listening to
music or something that I like to do people watching,
(02:57):
just watching people do things wherever you are. It's a
simple idiom, but one you'll find yourself using often. Number
three is time is money. Time is money. This idiom
emphasizes that time is valuable just like money, and if
you waste time, it's like wasting money. And this is
(03:19):
often used in situations where the person is focused on business,
they have a business mindset, and they're always wanting to
be doing something productive with their time. For example, you
might hear someone say, come on, let's not sit around
all day. Time is money. Let's not sit around all day.
(03:41):
Time is money. So it's particularly useful in business settings.
And I like this one because it's simple and it
reminds us to use our time wisely. The next one
is on borrowed time, on borrow time, and this is
used for situations of things that aren't expected to last
(04:03):
much longer. For example, this will help you the old
laptop is running on borrowed time. This old laptop is
running on borrowed time because it's slow. You hear the
fan every time you use it. It crashes every few hours.
(04:25):
And think of something in your life that's on borrow time,
maybe no car or even a job you're ready to
leave in the nick of time. This is the next
one in the nick of time, and this idium is
used when something happens just before it's too late. So
(04:47):
it happens just before it's too late. For example, we
made it to the train station in the nick of
time two minutes later, and we would have missed it,
would have missed it. I've made a lesson on should have,
would have, could have. I'll link to that in the description.
But in the nick of time? Is this idiom? We
(05:09):
made it to the train station in the nick of time.
So a question for you is can you think of
a moment when you arrived or finish something at the
very last second. So maybe you arrived to a job
interview in the nick of town, you finished your report
for work just in the nick of time, and these
(05:29):
are usually stressful situations, but they make for really good
stories later before the next one. Just to reminder, check
the description because I'm going to list these idioms for
you so you can read them, and then also check
the description for English learning resources, so I'm going to
(05:50):
link to some useful courses and books and things like
that for you. The next one time of your life,
Time of your life. I love this one. So this
idiom is used to describe an amazing, unforgettable experience. For example,
we had the time of our lives at the beach
(06:12):
last summer. We had the time of our lives at
the beach last summer. And in the present continuous you
might say, I'm having the time of my life. This
vacation is incredible. I'm having the time of my life.
So what's been the time of your life so far?
Write it down and practice saying this phrase. And it's
(06:33):
great for sharing exciting memories with friends. So to think
about it. In the past, we had the time of
our lives. We had the time of our lives. The
next one is better late than never, and it's used
with that intonation better late than never, So we use
(06:54):
this to say that doing something late is better than
not doing it at all. So doing something late is
better than not doing it at all. For example, he
finally showed up to the meeting. Better late than never,
So he finally showed up to the meeting. He finally
got to the meeting, which is better late than never.
(07:16):
So it's better to do that than doing nothing at all.
So think about something you've done recently that took longer
than expected, but it was still worth doing. And this
idiom is a great way to stay positive. We have
three more left, so stay with me until the end
of the lesson. The next one is against the clock,
(07:40):
against the clock, and this idiom describes a situation where
you're rushing to finish something before a deadline or before
time runs out. Before we talked about in the Nick
of Time to remember that one. This one is similar.
But listen to this exam. We were working against the
(08:02):
clock to finish the project before the big meeting. We
were working against the clock. So we tend to talk
about this one in the present continuous working against the
clock to get this done. We're working against the clock
to get this done. And again, this is probably more
used in business settings and also in school or university settings.
(08:25):
So imagine this. You've got an exam tomorrow and you
haven't even started studying. That feeling of urgency. Oh, I
have to get this done. I don't have a lot
of time. That's working against the clock. The next one
is make up for lost time. And I like this
one a lot. And this idio means trying to do
(08:46):
something quickly or intensively because you've wasted or missed time Earlier.
We didn't see each other for years, so now we're
spending every weekend together to make up for lost time.
We spend it every weekend together to make up for
lost time. So think about a project or friendship where
(09:07):
you fall in behind. You haven't done this project recently,
you haven't seen a friend for a while. When you
finally focus your energy on this, you're making up for
lost time. This often has an emotional aspect to it,
like reconnecting with loved ones or catching up on something meaningful.
(09:29):
Is there anything in your life that you'd like to
make up for lost time on? Maybe learning English, maybe
watching my videos, or spending more time with family. Then
the last one You've done it, the last one number ten,
Time will tell. Time will tell. This means that only
(09:51):
time can reveal the outcome of a situation. Only time
can reveal the outcome of a situation. For example, I
don't know if this new policy will work, but time
will tell. I don't know if the new policy will work,
but time will tell. It's a great way to express
(10:13):
patience or uncertainty about the future. Maybe you've started a
new hobby like playing the guitar. Will you become a
master of the guitar? Time will tell You're uncertain and
you have to be patient about it. Those are the
ten idioms, and they're not just expressions, but they are
(10:36):
tools to help you connect with others and express yourself
more naturally. So to master these, take this lesson again,
write them down as you listen to them, and then
think of some examples in your life that you can
use to use these idioms. Before you go, be sure
(10:56):
to click the like button on this lesson Eric with
a friend, subscribe if you are new, and then watch
some more lessons on the channel, and also look at
the description for some helpful tips for learning English and
some great resources for you. Thank you so much for listening,
(11:17):
and I'll see you in the next episode. Bye for now.
This is Jack from to Fluency and I am back
back with an English lesson here on YouTube or Apple Podcasts,
Spotify wherever you are watching or listening to this. Today,
we're going to talk about ten English idioms about time.
(00:22):
Not only will you understand what they mean, but you'll
also listen to some examples so you can better understand
them and how to use them, and will do so
in a way where you can practice your English listening.
If you are new to the channel or the podcast,
be sure to subscribe, share this with your friends, and
(00:44):
then check out the description for some really useful English
learning resources so that you can take your English to
the next level. Now, with that out of the way,
let's go into number one. Number one is time flies,
and more specifically, you'll hear this when people say time
(01:08):
flies when you're having fun. Time flies when you're having fun,
and this is one of the most popular idioms about time.
It means that time seems to move quickly when you
are enjoying yourself. So imagine this. You're having a great
time at a party, laughing, chatting with friends, and dancing.
(01:31):
Suddenly you check your watch or your phone and realize
it's already midnight, you say, wow, time flies when you're
having fun. Time flies when you're having fun. Think of
a time when hours felt like minutes. Was it during
a holiday, Was it when you were playing a sport,
(01:54):
or maybe when you had a fantastic conversation with somebody.
In that moment, time was flying, and you could say
time flies when you're having fun. Number two is killing time.
Killing time. Now, we use this idiom when we're spending
(02:14):
time doing something unimportant while waiting for something else. For example,
I was at the airport three hours early, so I
just walked around the shops to kill time. So kill
time is to do something that isn't the main focus
of what you want to be doing. But it's when
you're waiting at the doctor's office, You're waiting for a
(02:36):
friend to show up somewhere, so you kill time doing
something else. What is your go to activity for killing time?
What do you normally do when you kill time? Maybe
it's scrolling on your phone she's very popular, listening to
music or something that I like to do people watching,
(02:57):
just watching people do things wherever you are. It's a
simple idiom, but one you'll find yourself using often. Number
three is time is money. Time is money. This idiom
emphasizes that time is valuable just like money, and if
you waste time, it's like wasting money. And this is
(03:19):
often used in situations where the person is focused on business,
they have a business mindset, and they're always wanting to
be doing something productive with their time. For example, you
might hear someone say, come on, let's not sit around
all day. Time is money. Let's not sit around all day.
(03:41):
Time is money. So it's particularly useful in business settings.
And I like this one because it's simple and it
reminds us to use our time wisely. The next one
is on borrowed time, on borrow time, and this is
used for situations of things that aren't expected to last
(04:03):
much longer. For example, this will help you the old
laptop is running on borrowed time. This old laptop is
running on borrowed time because it's slow. You hear the
fan every time you use it. It crashes every few hours.
(04:25):
And think of something in your life that's on borrow time,
maybe no car or even a job you're ready to
leave in the nick of time. This is the next
one in the nick of time, and this idium is
used when something happens just before it's too late. So
(04:47):
it happens just before it's too late. For example, we
made it to the train station in the nick of
time two minutes later, and we would have missed it,
would have missed it. I've made a lesson on should have,
would have, could have. I'll link to that in the description.
But in the nick of time? Is this idiom? We
(05:09):
made it to the train station in the nick of time.
So a question for you is can you think of
a moment when you arrived or finish something at the
very last second. So maybe you arrived to a job
interview in the nick of town, you finished your report
for work just in the nick of time, and these
(05:29):
are usually stressful situations, but they make for really good
stories later before the next one. Just to reminder, check
the description because I'm going to list these idioms for
you so you can read them, and then also check
the description for English learning resources, so I'm going to
(05:50):
link to some useful courses and books and things like
that for you. The next one time of your life,
Time of your life. I love this one. So this
idiom is used to describe an amazing, unforgettable experience. For example,
we had the time of our lives at the beach
(06:12):
last summer. We had the time of our lives at
the beach last summer. And in the present continuous you
might say, I'm having the time of my life. This
vacation is incredible. I'm having the time of my life.
So what's been the time of your life so far?
Write it down and practice saying this phrase. And it's
(06:33):
great for sharing exciting memories with friends. So to think
about it. In the past, we had the time of
our lives. We had the time of our lives. The
next one is better late than never, and it's used
with that intonation better late than never, So we use
(06:54):
this to say that doing something late is better than
not doing it at all. So doing something late is
better than not doing it at all. For example, he
finally showed up to the meeting. Better late than never,
So he finally showed up to the meeting. He finally
got to the meeting, which is better late than never.
(07:16):
So it's better to do that than doing nothing at all.
So think about something you've done recently that took longer
than expected, but it was still worth doing. And this
idiom is a great way to stay positive. We have
three more left, so stay with me until the end
of the lesson. The next one is against the clock,
(07:40):
against the clock, and this idiom describes a situation where
you're rushing to finish something before a deadline or before
time runs out. Before we talked about in the Nick
of Time to remember that one. This one is similar.
But listen to this exam. We were working against the
(08:02):
clock to finish the project before the big meeting. We
were working against the clock. So we tend to talk
about this one in the present continuous working against the
clock to get this done. We're working against the clock
to get this done. And again, this is probably more
used in business settings and also in school or university settings.
(08:25):
So imagine this. You've got an exam tomorrow and you
haven't even started studying. That feeling of urgency. Oh, I
have to get this done. I don't have a lot
of time. That's working against the clock. The next one
is make up for lost time. And I like this
one a lot. And this idio means trying to do
(08:46):
something quickly or intensively because you've wasted or missed time Earlier.
We didn't see each other for years, so now we're
spending every weekend together to make up for lost time.
We spend it every weekend together to make up for
lost time. So think about a project or friendship where
(09:07):
you fall in behind. You haven't done this project recently,
you haven't seen a friend for a while. When you
finally focus your energy on this, you're making up for
lost time. This often has an emotional aspect to it,
like reconnecting with loved ones or catching up on something meaningful.
(09:29):
Is there anything in your life that you'd like to
make up for lost time on? Maybe learning English, maybe
watching my videos, or spending more time with family. Then
the last one You've done it, the last one number ten,
Time will tell. Time will tell. This means that only
(09:51):
time can reveal the outcome of a situation. Only time
can reveal the outcome of a situation. For example, I
don't know if this new policy will work, but time
will tell. I don't know if the new policy will work,
but time will tell. It's a great way to express
(10:13):
patience or uncertainty about the future. Maybe you've started a
new hobby like playing the guitar. Will you become a
master of the guitar? Time will tell You're uncertain and
you have to be patient about it. Those are the
ten idioms, and they're not just expressions, but they are
(10:36):
tools to help you connect with others and express yourself
more naturally. So to master these, take this lesson again,
write them down as you listen to them, and then
think of some examples in your life that you can
use to use these idioms. Before you go, be sure
(10:56):
to click the like button on this lesson Eric with
a friend, subscribe if you are new, and then watch
some more lessons on the channel, and also look at
the description for some helpful tips for learning English and
some great resources for you. Thank you so much for listening,
(11:17):
and I'll see you in the next episode. Bye for now.
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