Introduction: Hello, hello. Hey, beautiful people. My name is Foster, I am an English teacher and welcome to the Prepositions Perfection Challenge. Prepositions are difficult, but we're going to make them easy. Prepositions are complicated, we are going to make them simple. Prepositions make most students anxious and nervous. We're going to teach you how to use prepositions with confidence and we're going to have some fun at the same time. So here we go, 30 days of prepositions, let's get started.

Hello, hello! Hey guys and welcome to another low-hanging fruit session of the Prepositions Perfection Challenge. 

As you probably know by now, these low-hanging fruit sessions are normally a little bit shorter and a little bit easier than the other audios. And the idea with these sessions is to teach you something simple, something that you can start using immediately. 

And today we are going to talk about the difference between two very similar prepositions of time. Specifically, we are going to talk about the difference between “IN time” and “ON time.” 

So I know this is a really common… These are both very common phrases, they cause a lot of confusion, so let's dive straight into it. 

So let’s start with the expression ON TIME. What does it mean to be "on time"?

So in English, "on time" means there is a specific time established when something is supposed to or expected to happen, and it really does happen at that time, that you expected.

So let me repeat that one more time because this is a little bit confusing. So, "on time" refers to something that there is a specific time established when something is supposed to happen or when something is expected to happen and it really does actually happen at that planned time. So I know that sounds like a lot of words, most definitions can be a little confusing like that. So let's just look at some examples.

So to begin: 

If I arrive at 4:00 PM, I am on time for the interview.

Ok? So, the interview is scheduled at 4:00 PM, and if I arrive at 4:00 PM, then I'm "on time." Or for example:

If the flight leaves at 10:30 AM, the flight is leaving on time.

If the class starts at 9:00 AM, if there are no delays, then the class is starting on time.

So I think you're starting to get the point. "On time" means that something is actually happening at the time when you think it is going to happen, or when it is expected to happen. 

So let's take a real life example from my life. My brother, who I love very much, is always late for everything. He is one of those people that is always late, he's never on time. So I can say, “My brother is never on time.” 

So, what I would recommend that you do is, think about someone in your life that is always late for events and activities — this should be pretty easy for most Brazilians because a lot of Brazilians are late. And then connect that person with the idea of never being on time. And that will really help you think about, "Ok, this person is never on time, that means they never arrive when they're expected to arrive, or supposed to arrive." Ok?

So now let’s take a look at the phrase IN TIME. So this is very similar, but very different. 

So "in time" means that something happened at the last moment before it was too late or before something bad would potentially happen. So it's at the last second, "in time."

So for example, let's take a modern current example: 

The government acted quickly to contain the virus. They discovered a vaccine just in time to contain the spread of the virus. 

So in this case, we are using the expression “just in time.” And this is to say, "at the last minute, at the last possible moment before things could have been really bad."

And we use the phrase, “just in time” a lot in English. So I think the best translation for the phrase “just in time” would probably be something like, "bem na hora" ou "exatamente na hora." Something like that.

So let’s take a look at another example. Let's imagine...

I got stuck in traffic, but I arrived at the airport just in time to catch my flight.

So in this case, we are saying, "I did not expect to encounter a lot of traffic on the way to the airport, but fortunately, I arrived just before I needed to in order to catch my flight." Eu cheguei a tempo. Cheguei bem na hora.  

Ok guys, so there you have it. In time, on time, just in time. The difference between "on time." Someone that is never on time is someone that is always late. Hopefully that clears things up a bit for you and really clarifies how useful these two phrases are.

So, there you go. Another low-hanging fruit session. I hope this helps you. And I will see you guys tomorrow.