Sentence

hi,
this is me Barch. Last day i heared an audio, in which two persons was discussing and they used a sentence which i couldn’t understan.“it is about time”

It’s about time - the time has arrived for something to happen, close to the right time

I’m dozing off so now it’s about time for a cup of coffee.
(At the restaurant:) It’s about time the food comes in (we’re starving here!)
It’s about time for a break (I have worked all day).

It’s about time! (when you’re sporting team wins a championship for the first time in 50 years)

And it’s about time somebody asked this question on a forum. :slight_smile:

‘It’s about time’ is sometimes a phrase, but not always.

PHRASE: “It’s about time!” as a phrase basically means “Finally!!!” This is if it stands by itself. This use as a phrase sometimes keeps when it’s part of a larger sentence (e.g., It’s about time we won! = We finally won!).

NOT A PHRASE: As one of the tutors above pointed out, ‘It’s about time’ isn’t a phrase when used with ‘for’ – for example, “It’s about time for a break.” In this sentence, just substitute ‘about’ for ‘almost’, such that it reads, “It’s almost time for a break.”

Actually, correction: maybe there isn’t a rule to distinguish phrase and not a phrase for ‘It’s about time’: It depends on how you say it (i.e., your tone).

It’s about time for a break =

(1) It’s almost time for a break. (Calm voice)
(2) It’s finally time for a break! (Excited or Exasperated; the stress would be on “about time”)

But, honestly, I rarely (never?) hear (2) for this kind of sentence …