Episode Overview

Episode Title: Back in 2023: How to Be Clear About Timelines When Storytelling in English
Podcast: All Ears English (AEE)
Hosts: Lindsay McMahon & Michelle Kaplan
Date: November 13, 2025
Main Theme:
This episode dives into how English learners can clearly signal timelines when telling stories in English. Lindsay and Michelle address listener Rama's question from Saudi Arabia about ways to clarify if an event happened in the past, sharing practical vocabulary, expressions, and strategies to help ESL students be precise and fluent when talking about time—crucial for connection and clear communication.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Why Timeline Clarity Matters in Storytelling

• [05:21] Michelle: Emphasizes that clearly communicating when something happened is vital for storytelling and connection, especially if you’ve had multiple experiences in the same place.
• [09:00] Michelle: "If you've had multiple experiences in different places throughout your life, you need to refer to which time are we talking about? Right?"

2. Answering Rama's Question: Expressing Past Events

• Rama from Saudi Arabia asks: “Is there any other way to clarify that something happened in the past?”
  • Hosts affirm how essential this is and set out to provide useful phrases and examples.

3. Key Vocabulary and Phrases for Referring to Past Timelines

A. “Back in [year]”

• Used to anchor events to a clear point in the past.
  • [06:55] Mark: “Back in 2024, I was on vacation in Greece and I lost my favorite hat.”
• “Way back in…” emphasizes further distance in time.
  • [08:19] Mark: “Way back in 2004.”

B. “Last [time period]”

• Clarifies a recent past event.
  • [09:14] Lindsay: “We might say last month, last year, last week.”
  • [09:25] Michelle: “Last month I went to the beach with my friend.”
  • Also useful to correct misunderstandings about when something occurred:
    • [09:26] Mark: “My haircut was actually last month, not last week.”

C. Indefinite Timelines: “A while back” / “A few [time units] ago”

• For less specific reference, showing some non-recent point in the past.
  • [11:29] Mark: “‘A while back.’ This is not specific, so we don't know exactly when, but it's definitely not yesterday.”
  • [11:39] Michelle: “A while back, I considered being a gym teacher, but then decided to start a business instead.”
  • [12:06] Michelle: “A few years ago,” “A few days ago,” “A few weeks ago,” etc.
  • [12:08] Michelle: “I have to tell you what happened to me a few days ago.”

D. Exaggerating for Emphasis

• For storytelling flair or humor, exaggerate with phrases like:
  • [12:57] Michelle: “A million years ago. Or you could use any large number... very conversational, very exaggerated.”
  • [13:22] Mark: “Obviously the thing didn't happen a million years ago... we're exaggerating.”

4. Practical Examples and Role Play

• [13:36] Mark & [13:55] Michelle: Act out a scenario using time markers after not seeing each other for two years:
  • [14:02] Mark: “Well, I think it was back in 2023.”
  • [14:12] Michelle: “A few months ago I got a new job.”
  • [14:15] Mark: “I also had a career change recently. No, this was a couple years ago, but after I last saw you.”
• These demonstrate how to sequence and clarify timelines when catching up with someone.

5. Takeaway: Why Time Clarification Is So Important

• [16:04] Michelle: “It's so important and it really helps you connect. When did something happen in your life? And it's... you're fitting pieces of the puzzle together.”
• [16:20] Mark: “We want to clarify and it's never a bad idea to be extra clear.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "If you've had multiple experiences in different places throughout your life, you need to refer to which time are we talking about? Right." — Michelle [09:00]
• "It's so important and it really helps you connect... you're fitting pieces of the puzzle together." — Michelle [16:04]
• "We want to clarify and it's never a bad idea to be extra clear." — Mark [16:20]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:54] Michelle reminisces about eating a cheese sandwich in 2008, providing a natural context for using timeline phrases.
• [04:54] Rama’s question from Saudi Arabia is read and discussed.
• [06:17] Discussion of “Back in [year]” and variations like “way back in.”
• [09:14] Introduction of “last [time period]” and clarification strategies.
• [11:19] “A while back” and “a few [time units] ago” expressions.
• [12:57] Use of exaggeration (“a million years ago”) for conversational emphasis.
• [13:36]–[15:24] Role play demonstrating all key phrases in a real context.
• [16:04] Takeaway — the importance of timeline markers for connection and clarity.

Final Takeaway

Using clear time markers (“back in 2023,” “just last month,” “a while back,” “way back in 2008”) is crucial for telling stories and sharing experiences in English—especially when you need to avoid confusion and establish strong connections in conversation. Don’t be afraid to over-clarify, especially if you and your conversation partner have a long or complex shared history.

Hosts' Closing Thoughts: Be specific and use the right phrases to help your listener “wayfind” through your stories. Connection flourishes with clear, contextual communication. And, of course, it never hurts to reminisce about a great cheese sandwich (or two)!