A. Phrases with time

• We got to the meeting in time [before the meeting started].
• My brother is always on time [not early or late].
• It’s time (for us) to go. [used to say that something should happen now]
• Do you have time for a cup of coffee? [have enough time to do something]
• Call me the next time you’re in London. [on the next occasion]
• The weather was wonderful the last time we were there. [on the last occasion]
• Sophie and I arrived at the same time, 9 o’clock exactly.

B. Time prepositions often confused

• I’ll be here until 4.30. [I won’t leave before 4.30]
• I’ll be there by 8.15. [not later than 8.15]
• I’ve worked here for six months. (for + a period of time, e.g. a week, ten days, two years)
• I’ve worked here since May. (since + a point in time in the past, e.g. last Friday, March, 2011)
• I worked on a farm during the summer. (this tells you ‘when’)
• I worked on a farm for a month. (this tells you ‘how long’) (NOT during a month)
• I’m going back to Brazil in ten days’ time [ten days from now]. (NOT after ten days)

C. Approximate periods of time – past, present and future

Past

• I’ve known Lucia for ages [for a long time, e.g. many years].
• I haven’t been to the dentist recently/lately [e.g. in the last few months].
• I saw Tom recently [e.g. a few weeks ago / not long ago].
• I used to go skiing, but that was a long time ago [e.g. 5– 10 years ago; syn ages ago].
• My sister went to the zoo the other day [e.g. a few days ago, perhaps a week].

Present

• I don’t see my brother much these days [a period including the past and now; syn nowadays].

Future

• This dictionary’s fine for the time being [for now / the near future – but not for a long time].
• I’m sure I’ll go to America one day [in the future but I don’t know when].

D. Counting time

• There are 60 seconds in a minute; 60 minutes in an hour; 24 hours in a day; 7 days in a week; 2 weeks in a fortnight; 52 weeks in a year; 10 years in a decade; 100 years in a century.

E. Take and last

• We use take to say how long we need to do something.
• It takes me half an hour to get to school.
• We can walk, but it’ll take (us) a long time.
• We use last to talk about how long something continues, from the beginning to the end.
• The course lasts for ten weeks.
• How long does the film last?
• The battery in my camera didn’t last long [continue for a long time].