People think of and talk about time in different ways in different cultures. You want to learn what people recognize as major parts of the day, such as morning, noon, afternoon, evening, night. But cultures vary as to when each section of the day starts. Also, in some cultures, the days are divided up quite differently (as in Thailand).

Beginning Learners:

Learn to tell time, using a clock (if applicable) or drawings of positions of the sun. Learn parts of a day (and night). Learn the names of days of the week, using a calendar. Note that there may not always be a 7-day week! Some cultures traditionally have 5-day weeks, or other numbers.

Other possible vocabulary:

Intermediate Learners:

Ask LH to tell you about a time when he or she was really late to an event – how late is really late? How offended, if at all, was the other person? Look for expressions that indicate how time is viewed. For example, English speakers talk about time as a commodity: we save time, spend time, waste time. We have expressions like “Time is money.” What expressions does this society have involving time?