ENGLISH
REFERENCE

in time to do sth

prep. phr..
B1 Intermediate Oxford

prep. phr.. to arrive or finish something early enough so that you can do something else.

prep. phr.. a prepositional phrase indicating sufficient temporal proximity to a deadline or event to allow for a subsequent action.


SIMPLE

We arrived in time to see the sunset.

CONTEXTUAL

He finished his homework just in time to watch the football match with his friends.

COMPLEX

The emergency services arrived in time to prevent the fire from spreading to the adjacent residential buildings.

Usage

often used with 'just' to show that there was very little time left before the event started.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'on time' (at the scheduled hour); 'in time' focuses on the result of having enough time to spare for another activity.

Pitfall

I arrived on time to see the start.I arrived in time to see the start.use 'in time' when you mean early enough for a purpose; 'on time' means exactly at the planned clock time.

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