If you're lost, you can look and
you will find me, time after time. Hey, everyone. I'm Alex. Thanks for clicking, and welcome to this lesson on
some common word pairs or expressions with time. So, not just the word "time", but different
expressions we use to indicate time, or different expressions or word pairs we use to talk about how
long something takes, or when something happens. So, first we're going to look at five, and
then we're going to look at another five, and each time we go over one of these word
pairs I'll give you an example sentence, and I want you to, you know, see if you can guess the
meaning of this expression from the context, and then I will tell you the actual definition
of, you know, what this expression or this word pair means. So, let's not waste any
more time and let's begin. Number one: "then and there". The sentence is: "I was
hired then and there." Now, if you know the meaning,
obviously, of "then", at that time; and "there", in that place
- it means at that moment. Okay? So at that exact moment. At that moment. So, imagine you go to a job interview in this
case and the interview goes very well, sometimes the person who does your
job interview says: "Okay, we'll... We'll call you
back and we'll let you know." But sometimes if they know that you're the
right person for the job, they will tell you when... They will ask you, actually: "When can
you start?" and they will hire you on the spot, they will hire you then and
there, in that moment. Okay? So that's what "then and
there" means, at that moment. Or: "She kissed me then and there.",
"I was hired then and there." Next: "sooner or later". Sooner or later. "You'll have to do
it sooner or later." So, most of us I think don't like washing
dishes or we don't like doing the laundry, and we just look at it in the corner, you know,
telling ourselves: "Okay, we will do it. Not now, later. Later." Okay? And maybe, you know,
somebody will tell you: "Okay, can you...? Can you do it now? Because
you will have to do it sooner or later." And in this case it
means eventually. Okay? So, to say something a little more serious:
"Sooner or later we're all going to die." You know, it's going to happen. It's going to happen. That's not the happiest memory or the happiest
image, but you know, I think you get the meaning. Sooner or later. "Wait and see". Very simply: "Let's wait
and see what happens." This just means
let's be patient. Be patient. Okay? So, if you are watching a movie with a friend
and your friend wants to know what happens next in the movie because you have seen
the movie before, and your friend's like: "Oh, what happens next?
What happens next?" And you just say: "Wait and see. Okay? Just wait and you will
see what happens next." So, just be patient. Now, the final two on the first board are very
similar: "now and then", "from time to time". Both of these, if you
look at the sentences: "I talk to him now and then.", "She reads biographies
from time to time." What do you think these
expressions mean? Sometimes, that's right. So, infrequently or sometimes. Sometimes. Another word, maybe might be new for some of
you guys: "infrequently", not frequently, and these are interchangeable. Okay? So: "now and then",
"from time to time". "We go to restaurants from time to time.",
"We go to restaurants now and then.", "I read mystery novels from time to time.",
"I read mystery novels now and then." -"How often do you
call your mom?" -"Now and then.",
-"From time to time." Okay? So, we have: "then and there",
"sooner or later", "wait and see", "now and then", "from
time to time". And now let's look at five more. So, magic. Ooo. Hwah! Okay, so the next five. First: "quick and easy". "The test was quick and easy." So, something that doesn't take a lot of time,
is not very difficult, basically let's just say very easy. Doesn't take time, doesn't
take a lot of effort. So, often, if you like to cook and you see
recipes on the internet or in a cookbook, you know, some of the cookbooks are
called: "Quick and Easy Recipes". So, a quick and easy recipe
for pancakes, for example. Okay? So something that doesn't take a lot of time
and something that is simple, not complicated. The final four are all very much
related to making progress. So, think about your own progress in
English and learning a new language. Now, to learn a new language you
should go "slowly but surely". So: "He's improving
slowly but surely." So, you're doing something slowly, it's not
fast, like learning a language takes time, but if you go watch videos or study your books
or listen to movies, you will definitely, like, surely... Slowly but surely,
definitely improve. So this just means gradually. You will gradually improve. Okay? So let's go slowly but
surely, slowly but surely. Next: "slow and steady". "Don't rush! Just go slow and steady." So, you see: "slowly but surely", "s
but s", "slow and steady", "s and s". Basically, they both mean
gradually or without rushing. So, I'm just going to write
without rushing, not rushing. And if you're sitting there watching
me, saying: "What is 'rush'? What does 'rushing' mean?" To rush means to do something
quickly, very, very fast. Okay? So: "Don't rush. Just
go slow and steady." Steady, like calmly,
at a regular pace. Not, like, fast, slow, fast,
slow, but the same pace. You're very focused. Okay. Next: "little by little"
and "step by step". Oo, baby. You guys know what
I'm talking about. So: "Little bit little,
we're getting there." Same as here: "Slowly but surely", gradually,
"little by little", this is also an Oasis song. "Little by little",
something, something. I can't remember. If you know, let me
know in the comments. And finally: "step by step". "Just go step by step." So, you take steps
when you walk. Right? So if you do something step by step by step,
you start at the bottom and you maybe keep walking up, or you are at the beginning of a
very long journey, a very long trip, and you... How do you get to the end? How do you reach your goal? Step by step by step by step. Okay? So, gradually. So, those are a lot of expressions, 10
of them in fact, and if you'd like to test your understanding of
all of this stuff today, as always, you can check out
the quiz on www.engvid.com. And I really,
really recommend... You know, these are very, very common things
that we use in everyday conversation, so make sure you master them, take your time,
go slow and steady, slowly but surely, and step by step you will
see your English improve. All right? So once again, check
out that quiz. And til next time,
thanks for clicking. See ya. If you-[hums]-time after time.
