Words about time affect how we see and interact with the world. This article looks at time-related words. It aims to improve our vocabulary and show how language connects to our understanding of time.
What Are Time Words?
Time words are words that we use to talk about when something happens, how long it lasts, or how often it occurs. Time words are always related to tenses.
1. Time Points: When Something Happens
These words tell us the exact or general moment something happened or will happen. Time points are the particular time at which some work must be completed.
Examples:
- 6 a.m.
- At midnight
- At noon
- At sunset
- At sunrise
- At the beginning of the year
- At the end of the month
- At that moment
- At first
- At the same time
- Today
- Now
- Yesterday
- Tomorrow
- Last night
- Next year
- At 3 o’clock
- In 2025
- This morning
2. Time Duration: How Long It Happens
These expressions describe how long an action or event remains.
Examples:
- For two hours
- Since Monday
- All day
- The whole week
- For a while
- Forever
- A moment
- A second
- A minute
- A short while
- A little while
- A few minutes
- A few seconds
- For a bit
- Briefly
- Temporarily
- An hour
- A couple of hours
- Half a day
- All day
- All night
- Several hours
- A while
- Some time
- A few days
- The whole day
- A week
- A month
- A year
- A decade
- A century
- Ages
- For years
- For a long time
- For months
- Indefinitely
3. Frequency Words: How Often It Happens
These tell us how frequently something happens.
Examples:
- Once a week
- Twice a month
- Always
- Constantly
- Daily
- Every day
- Every time
- Regularly
- Frequently
- Often
- Usually
- Commonly
- Sometimes
- Occasionally
- From time to time
- Every now and then
- On and off
- Periodically
- At times
- Every other day
- Weekly
- Every weekend
- Rarely
- Seldom
- Hardly ever
- Once in a while
- Infrequently
- Barely
- Almost never
- Once a year
- Once in a blue moon
- Never
4. Sequence Words: The Order of Events
These are used to describe the sequence in which things happen.
Examples:
- First
- Firstly
- To begin with
- In the beginning
- At first
- Initially
- Next
- Then
- After that
- Secondly
- Thirdly
- Later
- Meanwhile
- In the meantime
- Subsequently
- Following that
- As the next step
- Thereafter
- Soon after
- Eventually
- Finally
- Lastly
- At last
- In the end
- To conclude
- To sum up
- Before
- After
- During
- When