AEE 2513: Back in 2023: How to Be Clear About Timelines When Storytelling in English

Summary

---

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)!

---

Transcript

[Lindsay McMahon]

This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 2513 back in 2023. How to be Clear about Timeline when Storytelling in English welcome to the All Ears English Podcast downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection. With your American host, Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl coming to you from.

[Mark]

Colorado and New York City, usa.

[Lindsay McMahon]

And to get your transcripts delivered by email every week, go to allearsenglish.com forward/subscribe.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Do you ever find yourself telling a story but the person you're talking to gets confused about the timeline today? Find out how to make sure this never happens so that you can tell the best stories in English.

[Lindsay McMahon]

The countdown is on. Holiday shopping season is officially here. Uncommon Goods takes the stress out of gifting with thousands of unique, high quality finds you won't see anywhere else. Don't wait. The most meaningful gifts get scratched, scooped up fast, and now's the perfect time to cross names off your list. Uncommon Goods looks for products that are high quality, unique and often handmade or made in the U.S. many are crafted by independent artists and small businesses, making every gift feel meaningful and truly one of a kind. Just like learning the basics of grammar is key to getting started with English. I've heard that knife skills are the foundation for good cooking.

[Mark]

Since I want to learn to cook.

[Lindsay McMahon]

This year I went to Uncommon Goods and found an authentic Thai chef's knife called the Moon Knife. Created in a small village in Thailand by talented artists, it's perfect for cutting pork or poultry. With a hand forged tool like this, I feel even more excited to improve my cooking. So don't wait. Cross those names off your list before the rush to get 15% off your next gift. Go to uncommongs.com a e e that's u n c O M M O N g o d s.com a e e for 15 off Uncommon Goods we're.

[Mark]

All out of the ordinary. Hey Michelle, how's it going today?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Going well, going well. I'm a little hungry. Oh my gosh. You know Lindsay, when I was in London I would eat this cheese sandwich from Burrow Market was the best.

[Mark]

Oh, was that when you went a couple years ago?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Oh no, that was when I studied abroad back in 2008. I would like plan my whole day around this sandwich.

[Mark]

Gosh, was it just cheese then? It was just like bread and cheese or was there something else?

[Michelle Kaplan]

It was a raclette. Have you ever Had Raclette.

[Mark]

Yes. That sounds very familiar.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I'm sure when they, like, they, they have it on the. They have it at a lot of markets now where they have just the giant block of cheese and they're. Okay, you know, melting it and they're scraping it off and. Oh, my God.

[Mark]

Okay, okay, okay.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Amazing. So, yeah, I could really go for that right now.

[Mark]

Yeah. Sounds to die for. Sounds to die for.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Absolutely. So, yeah, but that was back in 2008. I can't believe it's been that long.

[Mark]

Impressive. Oh, my gosh. Well, today's episode is. We're talking about, you know, something interesting today based on a question and a.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Very important function in the English language.

[Mark]

Right.

[Lindsay McMahon]

So.

[Mark]

So this comes from YouTube, guys. Don't forget we have an amazing and fast growing YouTube channel. Get over there and check out, guys. We're, you know, new subscribers are joining us over on Allers English this fall quite quickly. And so you want to be part of. Part of that.

[Lindsay McMahon]

So this One comes from Clav 1091.

[Mark]

Should I go ahead and read the question?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Sure.

[Mark]

I love you guys and I love.

[Lindsay McMahon]

All your work to give us such a wonderful podcast.

[Mark]

I was listening to this episode, as always while making my breakfast, and I.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Didn'T notice that you were reading my.

[Mark]

Review until you called my name. And I was very happy. Guys, might as well just mention this now. Guys, go ahead and leave us a review. By the way, we try to call out all of our reviewers by name.

[Lindsay McMahon]

When we see a review from you.

[Mark]

And it means a lot to us, doesn't it, Michelle?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Oh, my gosh, we love it. Lindsay sends them out. We all, we look and we all say, oh, that's so nice. So it is really great. Thank you.

[Mark]

Yeah, wonderful. So anyway, I'm wondering if you can make a podcast to learn to teach us how to talk about an event or anything that happened in the past.

[Lindsay McMahon]

I mean, like you said in your.

[Mark]

Episode back to 2024. Is there any other way to clarify that something happened in the past? I think it will be a useful episode. So thank you in advance, Rama from Saudi Arabia. And I agree, Rama, very useful question. Very useful.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, very useful question. Thank you, Rama, so much and thanks again for listening. So, yeah, let's get to it. I mean, yeah, what a good question, Lindsay. It's really important to be able to signal to people when something. When something happened. Right. So this is important in storytelling for connection. So many things. So we're gonna really get into this, get in deep to this today, Lindsay. But yeah, you Were. So let's talk about back to 24.

[Mark]

Yeah, I guess in that episode, I'd have to see the transcripts to understand exactly what was said. Right, right. But sometimes you might say, oh, back to 2024, let's talk about what happened that day in September. You know, that could be part of a way to refer back and make it clear that this thing happened in the past. Right, Michelle?

[Michelle Kaplan]

So, yeah, I mean, let's. Like, it is possible. So let's say you're putting someone in the setting, or let's say you're telling a story and you went on a tangent and you got interrupted and now you're getting back to it. So you could say something like, oh, so Anyway, back to 2024. It was a lovely day, blah, blah, blah. So, but I would most likely say back in 2024, if we're cl. If we're talking about, like, especially clarifying when the year is. So it's a little bit different of a function, but both can be used.

[Mark]

Exactly, exactly. So it really depends on what is.

[Lindsay McMahon]

The angle of what you're saying.

[Mark]

But here's some examples of how this would sound with back in a year or a time. So back in 2024, I was on vacation in Greece and I lost my favorite hat. Oh, no.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Have you been to Greece, Lindsay?

[Mark]

Oh, not yet. I'm dying to go. I would love to go, too. Yeah, soon.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, I haven't been either. Or let's say something is confusing about when something was so. Oh, no, this wasn't this year. It was back in 2024.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Lindsay McMahon]

And we're being very clear here, and.

[Mark]

This is incredibly important time orientation. We have to know when things happened. We're talking about now, in the past, or even in the future. Right. So another example, I took a salsa class back in 2024, and I loved it.

[Michelle Kaplan]

And, you know, you could also use other words with this, like way. Right. So you could say way back in 2024. I mean, that was just last year. So you might not say in life.

[Mark]

You'Re building the context that it's felt like a long year, which it has felt like kind of a long year this year.

[Michelle Kaplan]

You think so?

[Mark]

Yeah, a little bit. And so sometimes you might be.

[Lindsay McMahon]

You might have already mentioned that, oh, it's been a long year already.

[Mark]

2025. So way back in 2024.

[Lindsay McMahon]

I remember when we talked about this. Right.

[Mark]

But usually you would use that for like, 2004.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right.

[Mark]

Way back in 2004. Right. Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right. Or I could use that about my. So, guys, in the beginning, the story about the cheese sandwich in London, you know, I could have said that was way back in 2008. Right. So again, this. Back in. Right. That was very useful to clarify because I did go to London then a few years ago. So Lindsay said, oh, was that when you went a few years ago? He said, no, that was back in.

[Mark]

Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Abroad in 2008.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Lindsay McMahon]

This is important.

[Mark]

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 Kaplan]

Yes, that's true. That's a really important way that you might use it. So it's very useful. I mean, but how else can we signal that something took place in the past? Right. To be clear about when it happened.

[Lindsay McMahon]

We might talk about last. We might say last month, Last year, Last week.

[Mark]

Very common to hear. Hear that. Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

So, yeah, last month I went to the beach with my friend.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Or.

[Mark]

Or my haircut was actually last month, not last week. Again, clarifying. If someone was confused, they thought you went to the stylist last week, but it was actually last month. And you want to clarify. Okay.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yep.

[Mark]

Yep.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Hiring is not just about filling a position in your company. It's about finding someone who will actually drive revenue or improve your business. If you're in charge of hiring at your company, stop struggling to get your job seen on other sites. Give your job the best chance to be seen with Indeed sponsored jobs. It makes a big difference. According to Indeed data, sponsored jobs posted directly on indeed are 90% more likely to report a hire than non sponsored jobs because you reach a bigger pool of quality candidates. If I needed to hire a new blog writer to join our team here at Allers English, I'd be super specific. I would look for someone with two years of experience and WordPress expertise. Indeed can deliver on these specifications. Spend more time interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Less stress, less time, more results. Now with Indeed sponsored Jobs, and listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves@ Indeed.com ae just go to Indeed.com aee right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast ind e dashed.com a e Terms and conditions apply. Hiring. Do it the right way with Indeed.

[Mark]

So other ways. We could say this in a more natural native way a while back. This is not specific, so we don't know exactly when, but it's definitely not yesterday. Right? Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. Yes.

[Mark]

Probably not last week. Is it could be last month, I guess, but yes.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mark]

It signifies some distance. Some distance.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, some distance. I like that. So a while back, I considered being a gym teacher, but then decided to start a business instead.

[Mark]

Or this was a while back when I was still working for my other firm. So we're talking about, like, probably multiple years back?

[Michelle Kaplan]

I think so. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Or this is a little bit more specific. A few blank ago? A few years ago, A few weeks ago, A few days, months, whatever it may be.

[Mark]

What does that look like? Michelle?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Okay, I have to tell you what happened to me a few days ago. Yeah.

[Mark]

Or I was at the grocery store a few months ago and I couldn't find my phone. I got a new one, and then I found it.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Or no.

[Mark]

Or today.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Like, you could just have gotten. You know, maybe it was under something.

[Mark]

I got a new one and today they found it.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. So you got a new one. You know, a while ago you paid for it, and then it was found. Has that ever happened to you, Lindsay? Where some. You lost something and then it turns up, like, a while later.

[Mark]

Later I don't lose things very much, but, like, I know my dad. That happens. Dad, he. My dad's so bad. He lost his cell phone and his license in the same week. Like, in the same three days.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Oh, no.

[Mark]

Right before he was gonna go on a trip. I think he has really bad luck. I don't know.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Oh.

[Michelle Kaplan]

That'S too bad. Yeah. Or if you really want to be emphatic, you could say this is. This is exaggeration here. A million years ago. Or you could use any large number. You could even say a hundred years ago. A thousand years ago. A million years ago. Right. So that's very conversational, very exaggerated. You could say something like, oh, I'm not still upset about that. That was a million years ago.

[Mark]

And obviously the thing didn't happen a million years ago. No one was around a million years ago. But we're being exact. We're exaggerating, as you said, Michelle, right?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yep. Yep, exactly. Shall we move to the role play?

[Mark]

Yeah, let's do it. All right, here we go. So we're not going to use all.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Of them, but we're going to use a few of them.

[Mark]

This is so important. Time orientations. We're getting these. It's like a.

[Lindsay McMahon]

We're wayfinding through the conversation. Time really matters, right? These benchmarks.

[Mark]

Okay? So pay really close attention here, guys. So what's the setting?

[Michelle Kaplan]

We are friends, and we are meeting after two years.

[Mark]

Nice.

[Michelle Kaplan]

All right. Wow. So when did we last see each other?

[Mark]

Well, I think it was back in 2023.

[Michelle Kaplan]

No way. I can't believe that. I thought it was last year.

[Mark]

No, it was 2023. How have you been, huh?

[Michelle Kaplan]

I'm good. A few months ago I got a new job.

[Mark]

Wow.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Congratulations.

[Mark]

I also had a career change recently. No, this was a couple years ago, but after I last saw you.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Oh, tell me about it.

[Mark]

Yeah. And this is common. So this kind of scenario, when you haven't seen someone in a couple years, you're going to end up needing these time markers, right?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. Really good. Yeah. When you have a lot of things to catch up on with somebody. Right. Like a lot of life events. Very useful for that. So I said, when did we last see each other? And you said, I think it was back in 2023. Yes.

[Mark]

And I said, no way. I can't believe that. I thought it was last year. And this can happen sometimes with friends that we can let time go by. And all of a sudden it's been two or three years. It's of kind crazy. I know.

[Michelle Kaplan]

It's wild. It's that. It really is. And then he said, how have you been? And I said, I'm good. A few months ago I got a.

[Mark]

New job, so explaining when that happened. Right. And then I also said, congratulations, I also had a career change. And then you wanted to know when was that?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Was that recently?

[Mark]

Was that a long time ago? Because again, it's been two years since we saw each other.

[Michelle Kaplan]

And you said, no, this was a couple years ago. And then you said, but after I last saw you. So it's interesting because it's 2025 now, so a couple years ago is 2023. So yeah, I'm saying it was a couple years ago, but it. And then I clarified. But it was after I last saw you. So that's why it never came up at that time. It hadn't happened yet.

[Mark]

Oh, man. This is incredibly important. Guys, go and check out episode 2492 and you'll get four English idioms to fight fire with fire. I like that title. I what that one's about. So guys, go check that out. Michelle, what's our takeaway here? I mean, I think it's. It's just like, how important is time when it comes to sharing things?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, it's. 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. Yes. So just a really good way to connect and to really be clear about the timeline.

[Mark]

100%. 100%. Yeah. We want to clarify and it's never.

[Lindsay McMahon]

A bad idea to be extra clear.

[Mark]

Especially if you haven't seen someone in a while. Like add in that extra back in this. Back in this time or a couple of years ago just to make sure that they know what the timeline is. Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yes, exactly. Exactly. Very helpful. All right, well, this was fun. I'm gonna go eat a cheese sandwich. Yeah, be the same.

[Mark]

That sounds great. Jealous.

[Michelle Kaplan]

All right, well, have a good day, Lindsay. And thank you again to Rama for that question.

[Mark]

All right, sounds good. Talk to you soon. Bye.

[Michelle Kaplan]

All right, bye.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Thanks for listening to Allears English. Would you like to know your English level? Take our two minute quiz. Go to allearsenglish.com fluency score and if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time.

[Home Depot Announcer]

With Black Friday savings at the Home Depot, you can get up to 40% off plus up to an extra thousand dollars off select appliances like lg, America's most reliable line of appliances. Check out the newest LG refrigerator with new mini craft ice straight from the dispenser shop. Black Friday savings on select LG appliances plus get free delivery now at the Home Depot. Free delivery on appliance purchases of $396 or more offer valid 115 through 123 US only. Etsy store online for details if we.

[Apple Watch Announcer]

Knew more about our sleep, what would we do differently? Would we go to bed at a consistent time or take steps to reduce interruptions to our sleep? With the all new Sleep Score, Apple Watch measures your bedtime consistency, interruptions and sleep duration. Then every morning it combines these factors into an easy to understand score from 1 to 100. So you'll know how to take the quality of your sleep from good to excellent. Introducing the new Sleep Score on Apple Watch iPhone 11 or later required.