In this mini episode, you will learn the expression “It’s just a matter of time.”
Episode 261 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you the expression “It’s just a matter of time.” Send your questions about English and your suggestions for future episodes to EverybodyESL@gmail.com! (And let me know if you’d like to record the introduction to a future episode.)
Intro
“Hi, this is Kate, from South Korea. You are listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 261 of Everybody ESL, the podcast for everybody who wants to improve their English, practice their English, or just learn more English. My name is Ben, and I have a mini episode for you today, where I am going to teach you about one English topic. You can subscribe to the Everybody ESL podcast at Apple podcasts, on the Stitcher app, and wherever you find your podcasts. If you like Everybody ESL, leave it a good review so other people can find out about it too. And if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for me, please send an email to everybodyESL@gmail.com. Okay! Let’s get on with this mini episode.
The episode
In this episode, I am going to teach you a very common and very useful expression. And that expression is “just a matter of time.” Just a matter of time. That's just: j-u-s-t, a, matter: m-a-t-t-e-r, of: o-f, time: t-i-m-e. Just a matter of time. And you will also hear this expression as “only a matter of time.” “Just a matter of time” and “only a matter of time.”
What does it mean if we say that something is just—or only—a matter of time?
It means something will definitely happen. It will happen eventually. It will happen sometime in the future, but we don't know when. We don't know exactly when it will happen, but we know—or we believe—that it will happen at some time.
Here is an example of a situation where somebody might use the phrase “just a matter of time.”
Let's say that my friend has been trying to find a job. My friend really wants a new job. My friend has applied to many jobs, and my friend has had many job interviews. But so far, my friend has not been able to find a new job. And my friend is feeling very discouraged and very frustrated. And so I say this to my friend: “I'm sure you will get a great job. It's just a matter of time.” I'm sure you will get a great job. It's just a matter of time.
And what I mean when I say that is “I'm sure you will get a good job. It will happen eventually. I don't know when it will happen, but I know that it will happen. It will happen. Don't feel too bad because it's just a matter of time. You will find a great job at some time. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But it will happen.”
And that is “just (or only) a matter of time,” another English expression that I think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 261 of Everybody ESL. Remember: if you have questions about English, or if you have comments or suggestions for the podcast, or if you would like to record an introduction that I can play at the beginning of future episodes—the same way Kate recorded the introduction you heard at the beginning of this episode—send an email to everybodyESL@gmail.com. I’ll be back soon with a new episode, and until then, keep going, keep practicing, and keep learning. Goodbye! I’ll see you soon.