1009 - Phrasal Verbs Related to Time

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Have you ever been in a meeting that felt like it would never end?

You keep looking at the clock thinking,

oh man, is this ever going to finish?

But then, there are other times when the opposite happens.

Maybe you're hanging out with friends watching a great movie.

And suddenly, you look at the clock and think, wow, where did the time go?

In English, we actually have several very useful phrasal verbs to talk about situations like these.

So, in today's podcast English lesson,

we're going to look at some common phrasal verbs related to time that you can use all the time in your everyday conversations.

Welcome to another Happy English Podcast coming to you from New York City.

And here's your English teacher, Michael.

Alright, thank you, John, and thanks everyone.

It's Michael here from Happy English, and I help people speak English better.

And this is Happy English Podcast Episode 109.

Phrasal verbs related to time.

Let's start with the phrasal verb drag on.

When something drags on, it continues for longer than expected or longer than necessary.

And because of that, it often feels boring or tiring or frustrating.

For example, imagine you're watching a movie

that everyone said, oh, it's exciting.

But halfway through, you start to lose interest because the story just keeps going and going.

You might say that movie really dragged on.

I almost fell asleep.

Or imagine you're in a meeting that was supposed to last 30 minutes,

but an hour later, people are still talking and nothing is getting decided.

So you might think, oh, man, this meeting is really dragging on.

Here's another one.

Think about winter in a cold place.

Sometimes people say something like, ah, this winter is really dragging on.

I can't wait for spring.

Hmm, I think I said that this morning.

So when something drags on, it simply continues longer than people expected

or wanted.

Next, let's talk about carve out.

When you carve out time, it means you make or create time for something in your schedule,

especially when you're already busy.

For example, I have a friend who works long hours,

but still wants to spend time with their family.

They might say something like, no matter how busy I get,

I always try to carve out time for dinner with my family.

Or like, maybe someone has a demanding job during the week,

but enjoys painting or playing music.

They might say, on weekends, I always try to carve out a few hours to work on my paintings.

And sometimes people use this expression at work too.

For example, a manager might say, ah, let's try to carve out some time next week to discuss the project.

In all of these situations, carving out time means intentionally creating time in your schedule for something important.

Another useful expression related to time is date back.

And something dates back to a certain time, it means that it started or originated at that time in the past.

For example, if you visit a very old building or historical site,

a tour guide might say something like, this castle dates back to the 12th century.

That means the castle was built during that time.

Here's another example. Many traditions have a long history.

So like, the tradition of celebrating Halloween dates back to ancient Celtic festivals.

And this expression can also be used in everyday conversation.

For example, someone might say, you know, my love of music dates back to when I was a kid.

In other words, that interest started a long time ago.

Now, let's look at two phrasal verbs that are very similar.

Fit in and squeeze in.

Both of these phrasal verbs mean to find time for something in a busy schedule.

The idea is that your schedule is already full, but you manage to make something work anyway.

Like, imagine a friend who has a very busy week, but still wants to meet you for coffee.

They might say, I'm really busy this week, but I think I can fit in a quick coffee on Thursday afternoon.

Here's another example. Maybe someone has meetings all day at work.

But during a short break, they manage to see a friend.

They might say, between meetings, I manage to squeeze in lunch with a friend.

Or, imagine you're traveling for work, but you still want to exercise.

You might say, even when I'm traveling, I try to fit in a quick workout at the hotel gym.

In these situations, both fit in and squeeze in mean that you find time for something

even though your schedule is already tight.

And finally, let's look at two more phrasal verbs that describe how time moves.

Go by and pass by.

Both of these phrasal verbs are used when we talk about the movement of time, especially when it feels fast.

For example, someone might say, the years really go by quickly.

This is something people often say when they're talking about getting older or looking back on their life.

And here's another everyday example. Imagine you're spending the weekend with friends and having a great time.

Suddenly, it's Sunday night. And you might say, wow, the weekend passed by so fast.

And here's one more situation that many people experience.

When you're enjoying a concert, a movie, or vacation, time seems to move quickly.

You might hear someone say, time really goes by fast when you're having fun.

You know, we also say time flies when you're having fun.

These expressions help describe the feeling that time moves quickly when we're enjoying ourselves.

So let's recap. Today, we looked at several phrasal verbs related to time that come up often in everyday English conversation.

If something drags on, it continues longer than expected.

If you carve out time, you create time in your schedule for something important.

When something dates back to a certain time, it started in the past at that time.

If you fit in something or squeeze something in, you manage to make time for it even when you're busy.

And when time goes by or passes by, it simply means that time moves forward often faster than we realize.

So here's your challenge.

This week, pay attention to how people talk about time in English.

Maybe you'll notice somebody says something is dragging on.

Or maybe you'll hear someone say they're trying to carve out time for a hobby.

Or maybe you'll suddenly realize that the weekend just flew by.

When you start noticing these expressions in real conversations, it becomes much easier to remember them and use them yourself.

And keep in mind, the best way to remember English like this and any other word or phrase in English is to take that word or phrase,

write it in a sentence that's true for you or true in your world.

And then memorize your sentences.

So go ahead. Do that writing in your notebook now.

Hey, thanks for listening.

And remember, learning another language is not easy, but it's not impossible.

And I'm here to help you on your journey.

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