English for Beginners: Time Expressions

Dialogue

Current Situation

Time expressions are super important in English! They help us talk about when things happen, whether it’s in the past, present, or future. Imagine trying to make plans with a friend or telling a story without mentioning “when”! It would be very confusing. By using phrases like “yesterday,” “now,” “tomorrow,” or “at 3 o’clock,” we can clearly communicate our schedules, memories, and future events. Mastering these expressions is key to understanding and being understood in everyday English conversations.

Key Phrases

• now: at this moment.
  Example: What are you doing now?
• an hour ago: one hour before the present moment.
  Example: I had breakfast an hour ago.
• 10 o’clock in the morning / 3 PM: specific times of the day.
  Example: The meeting is at 10 o’clock in the morning. / Let’s meet at 3 PM.
• this afternoon / this morning / this evening: during the afternoon/morning/evening of the current day.
  Example: I have a dentist appointment this afternoon.
• tomorrow (morning/afternoon/evening): the day after today.
  Example: We are going to the beach tomorrow morning.
• yesterday (morning/afternoon/evening): the day before today.
  Example: I saw a great movie yesterday evening.
• late: happening after the expected or usual time.
  Example: I got home very late last night.
• on time: at the scheduled or expected time; not late.
  Example: It’s important to arrive on time for your interview.
• on the dot: exactly at the specified time.
  Example: He arrived at 8 AM on the dot.
• in five minutes / in an hour / in two days: after this amount of time from now.
  Example: The show starts in five minutes.
• later: at a subsequent time; after now.
  Example: I’ll call you later.
• right now: immediately; at this very moment.
  Example: I need to leave right now.
• next time: the next occasion that something happens.
  Example: Please be careful next time.
• all day (yesterday/today): for the entire duration of the day.
  Example: She worked all day yesterday.
• around (3 PM / lunchtime): approximately at that time.
  Example: Let’s meet around 3 PM.
• last week / next week / last month / next month: the week/month before/after this one.
  Example: We went on holiday last week. / I have a test next week.

Grammar Points

1. Prepositions of Time: At, On, In

• At: Used for specific times, clock times, and holidays.
  Examples: at 7 o’clock, at noon, at night, at Christmas.
• On: Used for specific days and dates.
  Examples: on Monday, on July 4th, on my birthday.
• In: Used for months, seasons, years, longer periods, and parts of the day (except “at night”). Also used to indicate a future time (e.g., “in five minutes”).
  Examples: in July, in summer, in 2025, in the morning, in an hour.

2. Adverbs of Time

Words that tell us when something happens. They often go at the beginning or end of a sentence.

• now, immediately, right now (present)
• yesterday, last week/month/year, ago (past)
• tomorrow, next week/month/year, soon, later (future)
Examples: I’ll see you tomorrow. She arrived late. We just finished now.

3. Using ‘This’, ‘Last’, ‘Next’

These words help us refer to periods relative to the present.

• This: refers to the current period.
  Examples: this morning, this week, this year.
• Last: refers to the period immediately before the current one.
  Examples: last night, last month, last summer.
• Next: refers to the period immediately after the current one.
  Examples: next Tuesday, next weekend, next year.

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks. Choose the best time expression for each sentence.

1. We are going to the park _________ morning. (tomorrow / yesterday)
2. She finished her homework five hours _________. (now / ago)
3. I have a meeting _________ 10 o’clock. (on / at)
4. They will visit us _________ July. (in / on)
5. Did you see that movie _________ night? (this / last)
6. Let’s meet _________ Friday. (on / in)
7. He is busy _________ afternoon. (this / last)
8. The train leaves _________ ten minutes. (in / on)
9. What are you doing _________? (ago / now)
10. I usually eat breakfast _________ the morning. (at / in)

Exercise 2: Match the Time Expression to its category (Past, Present, or Future).

Match them:

1. Yesterday: _________
2. Last week: _________
3. Next year: _________
4. Now: _________
5. Tomorrow: _________

Exercise 3: Create your own sentence using these time expressions.

1. “this morning”
   (Your sentence here)
2. “in an hour”
   (Your sentence here)
3. “on time”
   (Your sentence here)