387. Why Are Some People Always Late? The Cultural Meaning of Time (English Vocabulary Lesson)
5/11/202624 min
You are invited to a party. The invitation says the party starts at 20:00. What time will you arrive? Your answer to this question has a lot to do with your culture. Some of you will have said 20:00 exactly, because that is when the part stats. Others will have said 19:45, because it is polite to be early. Others will have said 20:30… or 21:00… or later because it is awkward to arrive too early. Your answer to my question is connected to how your culture understands time: the direction of time; the use time; punctuality; and more. So today I want to look at the cultural meanings of time, highlight some common cultural misunderstandings that will be relevant for any of you living/studying/or working internationally, and do all of this while introducing new English vocabulary and practicing your English listening comprehension. Conversation Club - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/patreon/conversation-clubs/ TRANSCRIPT - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2026/05/11/387-why-are-some-people-always-late-the-cultural-meaning-of-time-english-vocabulary-lesson/ AD Free Episode - https://www.patreon.com/thinkinginenglish Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/thinkinginenglish YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@thinkinginenglishpodcast INSTAGRAM - https://www.instagram.com/thinkinginenglishpodcast/) $10 Free Credits on iTalki (Affiliate Link) - https://www.italki.com/affshare?ref=af17506448 My Editing Software (50 % Discount Affiliate Link) - https://descript.cello.so/BgOK9XOfQdD Borough by Blue Dot Sessions Contact advertising@airwavemedia.com to advertise on Thinking in English. Thinking in English is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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First 90 secondsTom Wilkinson· Host0:00
So good, so good, so good.
Speaker 10:02
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Tom Wilkinson· Host0:25
[pensive music] Hello, I'm Tom Wilkinson, and welcome to the Thinking in English podcast, a podcast for intermediate to advanced level English learners. You are invited to a party. The invitation says the party starts at 8:00 PM. What time will you arrive? Your answer to this question has a lot to do with your culture. Some of you will have said 8:00 PM exactly because that is when the party starts. Others will have said 7:45 because it's polite to be early. Others will have said 8:30 or 9:00 or later because it's awkward to arrive too early. Your answer to my question is connected to how your culture understands time, understands the direction of time, the use of time, punctuality, and more. So today, I want to take a look at the cultural meanings of time. I will highlight