⏰ Speaking: Storytelling & Narrative Skills B1 - Lesson 2: Using Time Expressions to Sequence
Welcome back! To tell a great story, your listener must understand the order of events. Time expressions are the glue that holds your narrative together. Today, we'll learn the best words and phrases to show the sequence1 of events clearly.
Conversation Scenario: Starting a Small Business
Listen to Rithy tell his friend Sophea how he started his successful cafe in Battambang. Pay attention to the phrases he uses to mark the different stages of his journey.
Sophea: Rithy, your cafe is always so busy! It feels like you just opened yesterday.
Rithy: Thanks, Sophea! But the journey was quite long. It all started about three years ago. I was working in an office, but I wasn't very happy.
Sophea: So what did you do?
Rithy: First, I started saving money. Then, I took a barista course on the weekends. After that, I spent a whole year looking for the perfect location.
Sophea: A whole year? That's a long time!
Rithy: I know! Eventually2, I found this place. At first3, it was very quiet, with only a few customers. But a few months later, more people started coming. And nowadays4, we're one of the most popular spots in town!
Common Time Expressions for Storytelling
Using a variety of time markers makes your story more engaging and easy to follow. Try to use a mix of these phrases.
- Starting the story:
- A few years ago... / Last month... / When I was a child...
- It all started when...
- Continuing the story (in order):
- Then,... / After that,... / Next,...
- A little while later,... / A few weeks later,...
- During that time,... / Meanwhile5,...
- Finishing the story:
- Finally,... / In the end,...
- Eventually,... / Nowadays,...
🎤 Pronunciation: Intonation on Time Phrases
When you use a time expression at the start of a sentence, your intonation naturally rises slightly and you make a small pause. This signals to the listener that you are setting the time frame for the next piece of information.
Listen to the rhythm:
"A few months later, [pause] more people started coming."
(Intonation goes up on 'later' ➚, then falls on 'coming' ➘)
Practicing this helps your listener separate the time marker from the main action, making your story much clearer.
🧠 Practice Quiz: Complete the Story
Use the time expressions from the box to complete the short story about cooking dinner.
Finally After that Last night First
(1) ________, I decided to cook Amok for my family. (2) ________, I went to the market to buy all the ingredients like fish, coconut milk, and kroeung. (3) ________, I came home and prepared everything carefully. It took a long time. (4) ________, we all sat down to eat, and it was delicious!
→ Answers:
1. Last night, 2. First, 3. After that, 4. Finally
📝 Your Mission: Tell Your "Learning" Story
Your mission this week is to tell a story about something you learned to do. It could be learning to ride a moto, learning English, or learning a skill for your job.
- Choose your topic.
- Structure your story using at least FOUR different time expressions. For example: "When I was 18...", "At first...", "A few months later...", "Nowadays...".
- Tell your story to a friend or colleague. Focus on making the sequence of events very clear.
Vocabulary Glossary
- Sequence: (Noun) - លំដាប់ (lum'dap) - The order in which things happen or should happen. ↩
- Eventually: (Adverb) - នៅទីបំផុត (nɨw tii bamphot) - In the end, especially after a long time or a lot of effort. ↩
- At first: (Phrase) - ដំបូងឡើយ (dam'boung laəy) - At the beginning of a situation. ↩
- Nowadays: (Adverb) - សព្វថ្ងៃនេះ (sap t'ngai nih) - At the present time, in contrast with the past. ↩
- Meanwhile: (Adverb) - ក្នុងពេលជាមួយគ្នានេះ (knong pel chə'muəy k'niə nih) - In the time between two events or while something else is happening. ↩