你是不是也曾經想說「我剛好趕上捷運」，結果脫口而出：
❌ I arrived on time for the MRT.
其實應該說：
✅ I arrived in time for the MRT.
in time vs on time 是台灣學習者最容易搞混的英文用法之一。
尤其在面試、上班、搭車、交作業時，用錯可能會讓對方誤會你的意思。
今天我們就用超生活化的情境，帶你一次搞懂 in time vs on time 的真正差別。
🎧Apple Podcast｜Spotify
💬 Dialogue 情境對話
🧭 場景設定
兩位剛畢業的朋友在咖啡廳聊天，一個剛去面試，另一個差點錯過捷運，剛好聊到 in time 和 on time 的差別。
🔹 English Dialogue
Kevin: I almost missed the MRT this morning, but I arrived just in time.
Lisa: Nice! At least you didn’t miss it. My job interview was at 10 a.m., and I arrived on time.
Kevin: Wait… aren’t those the same?
Lisa: Not exactly. On time means you arrive at the scheduled time.
Kevin: So your interview started at 10, and you were there at 10?
Lisa: Exactly. But in time means you arrived before it was too late.
Kevin: Oh! So I arrived before the train left — that’s in time.
Lisa: Right. If you missed the train, that would be too late.
Kevin: Got it. So if someone says, “He’s always on time,” it means he’s very punctual.
Lisa: Yes! But if you say, “I finished the report in time,” it means you finished it before the deadline.
Kevin: That actually makes a lot of sense now.
Lisa: English loves these tiny differences!
🔹 中文翻譯
Kevin： 我今天早上差點錯過捷運，但我剛好趕上（just in time）。
Lisa： 太好了，至少沒錯過。我今天面試是 10 點，我準時到（on time）。
Kevin： 等等，這兩個不是一樣嗎？
Lisa： 不完全一樣。on time 是在「預定時間準時到」。
Kevin： 所以你的面試 10 點開始，你 10 點到？
Lisa： 對。但 in time 是「在來不及之前趕上」。
Kevin： 原來如此！我是在火車開走前趕到，所以是 in time。
Lisa： 沒錯，如果錯過了，那就是太晚了。
Kevin： 所以如果說某人 always on time，就是他很守時。
Lisa： 對！如果說 finish in time，就是在期限前完成。
Kevin： 現在終於懂差別了。
Lisa： 英文真的很愛這種細微差異。
📚 Vocabulary Boost 重點單字
（已同步回到 Dialogue 將重點字加粗）
| 單字 | 詞性 | 中文意思 | 英文例句 | 中文翻譯 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| just in time | phr. | 剛好來得及 | I arrived just in time for the train. | 我剛好趕上火車。 |
| on time | phr. | 準時 | She always arrives on time. | 她總是準時到。 |
| punctual | adj. | 守時的 | He is very punctual at work. | 他工作很守時。 |
| deadline | n. | 截止時間 | I finished the report before the deadline. | 我在截止前完成報告。 |
| miss | v. | 錯過 | I almost missed the train. | 我差點錯過火車。 |
| schedule | n. | 時程 | The meeting is on the schedule. | 會議在行程中。 |
| interview | n. | 面試 | I had a job interview today. | 我今天有面試。 |
| arrive | v. | 到達 | Please arrive on time. | 請準時到。 |
| finish | v. | 完成 | I finished the task in time. | 我及時完成任務。 |
| difference | n. | 差異 | There’s a small difference. | 有一點差異。 |
🔍 Sentence Patterns 重點句型
| 句型結構 | 中文意思 | 英文例句 | 中文翻譯 |
|---|---|---|---|
| arrive on time | 準時到達 | Please arrive on time for the meeting. | 請準時到會議。 |
| arrive just in time | 剛好趕上 | I arrived just in time for class. | 我剛好趕上上課。 |
| finish in time | 及時完成 | I finished the report in time. | 我及時完成報告。 |
| be punctual | 很守時 | He is always punctual. | 他總是很守時。 |
| before the deadline | 在期限前 | Submit it before the deadline. | 在期限前繳交。 |
📖 Transcript 逐字稿
J: So the other day, I was literally running for the train.
J：前幾天我啊，真的就是在追火車，整個人在狂奔。
M: Oh, that feeling.
M：喔，那種感覺。
J: I was just so convinced I was gonna miss it. I dive through the doors, you know, just as they’re closing, and I get a seat. And my first thought is, “I made it on time.”
J：我那時候真的以為自己一定會錯過。我在車門快要關上的瞬間衝進去，還搶到一個位子，我腦中第一個念頭就是：「呼！我準時趕上了。」
J: But then I stopped. And I thought, wait, was that “on time” or was it “in time”? I get them mixed up constantly.
J：可是我後來停下來想了一下，等等，剛剛那個應該是「on time」還是「in time」啊？我真的常常把這兩個搞混。
M: You are definitely not the only one.
M：你絕對不是唯一一個這樣的人。
M: It’s probably one of the most common,tricky spots for English learners because the difference is so small.
M：這大概是英文學習者最常卡住的難點之一，因為它們的差別真的很小。
J: But the meaning is totally different.
J：可是意思卻完全不一樣。
M: Completely. So, welcome to MJ English, where we get into these practical little details of conversational English.
M：完全不同。歡迎來到 MJ English，在這裡我會一起學習到一些實用的英語會話。
J: And today, our mission is to finally solve this whole “in time” versus “on time” thing.
J：而今天的任務，就是要徹底搞懂「in time」和「on time」的差別。
M: Yeah, let’s do it. We’re going to use a really fun, everyday dialogue to make it clear.
M：沒錯，來吧。我們會用一段很生活化、很好懂的對話來說清楚。
J: Okay, I’m ready.
J：好，我準備好了。
M: Right, so let’s just imagine two friends. We’ll call them Kevin and Lisa.
M：好，那我們先想像有兩個朋友，一個叫 Kevin，一個叫 Lisa。
J: Yeah.
J：好。
M: And they’re just, you know, talking in a cafe.
M：他們就是在咖啡廳聊天。
J: Okay. So what’s the situation?
J：好，那情境是什麼？
M: Well, Kevin just had that train experience you mentioned, and Lisa had a really important job interview.
M：Kevin 剛好遇到你剛剛說的那種趕火車的情況，而 Lisa 則是有一場非常重要的工作面試。
兩位剛畢業的朋友在咖啡廳聊天，一個剛去面試，另一個差點錯過捷運，剛好聊到 in time 和 on time 的差別。
🔹 English Dialogue
Kevin: I almost missed the MRT this morning, but I arrived just in time.
Lisa: Nice! At least you didn’t miss it. My job interview was at 10 a.m., and I arrived on time.
Kevin: Wait… aren’t those the same?
Lisa: Not exactly. On time means you arrive at the scheduled time.
Kevin: So your interview started at 10, and you were there at 10?
Lisa: Exactly. But in time means you arrived before it was too late.
Kevin: Oh! So I arrived before the train left — that’s in time.
Lisa: Right. If you missed the train, that would be too late.
Kevin: Got it. So if someone says, “He’s always on time,” it means he’s very punctual.
Lisa: Yes! But if you say, “I finished the report in time,” it means you finished it before the deadline.
Kevin: That actually makes a lot of sense now.
Lisa: English loves these tiny differences!
🔹 中文翻譯
Kevin： 我今天早上差點錯過捷運，但我剛好趕上（just in time）。
Lisa： 太好了，至少沒錯過。我今天面試是 10 點，我準時到（on time）。
Kevin： 等等，這兩個不是一樣嗎？
Lisa： 不完全一樣。on time 是在「預定時間準時到」。
Kevin： 所以你的面試 10 點開始，你 10 點到？
Lisa： 對。但 in time 是「在來不及之前趕上」。
Kevin： 原來如此！我是在火車開走前趕到，所以是 in time。
Lisa： 沒錯，如果錯過了，那就是太晚了。
Kevin： 所以如果說某人 always on time，就是他很守時。
Lisa： 對！如果說 finish in time，就是在期限前完成。
Kevin： 現在終於懂差別了。
Lisa： 英文真的很愛這種細微差異。
J: Okay. Stressful morning for both of them.
J：喔，兩個人都是壓力超大的早上。
M: You could say that. So in their chat, Kevin says, “I almost missed the MRT this morning, but I arrived just in time.”
M：可以這麼說。所以在他們聊天時，Kevin 說：「我今天早上差點錯過捷運，不過我剛好及時趕上。」
J: “Just in time.”
J：「Just in time。」
M: Exactly. But then Lisa, talking about her interview, says, “My job interview was at 10:00 AM and I arrived on time.”
M：沒錯。但 Lisa 在講她的面試時說：「我的面試是早上十點，我準時到達。」
J: See, there it is. The two phrases right next to each other.
J：你看，兩個片語就這樣並排出現了。
M: And that little dialogue gives us everything we need.
M：這段小對話其實就已經包含所有關鍵了。
J: So let’s break it down. Let’s start with Lisa. She arrived “on time.”
J：那我們來拆解一下，先從 Lisa 開始，她是「on time」到達。
M: “On time” means arriving exactly at the scheduled time. It’s all about punctuality.
M：「On time」指的是剛好在預定時間到達，重點在準時。
J: So her interview was at 10:00, and she got there at 10:00. Not 9:59, not 10:01.
J：所以她的面試是十點，她也是十點到，不是九點五十九，也不是十點零一。
M: That’s the idea. It’s precise. It matches the schedule perfectly. We’d say she’s a very punctual person.
M：就是這個概念，非常精準，完全符合行程時間，我們會說她是一個很準時的人。
J: Okay, so “on time” equals punctual. Got it. Now what about Kevin? He said he arrived “just in time.”
J：好，所以「on time」等於準時。懂了。那 Kevin 呢？他說他是「just in time」。
M: That feels different. It feels more like relief.
M：那感覺就不一樣，比較像鬆一口氣。
J: “In time” means you got there before it was too late. You made it before the cutoff.
J：「in time」的意思是你在來不及之前趕到了，在最後期限前成功趕上。
M: So the deadline, in his case, was the train doors closing.
M：所以在他的例子裡，截止點就是車門關上的那一刻。
J: He didn’t miss it. He got there “in time.” The opposite of being in time is, well, to miss the train.
J：他沒有錯過，他是及時趕到。相反的情況就是錯過火車。
M: That makes so much sense. One is about a fixed point on a schedule, and the other is about beating a deadline.
M：這樣就很清楚了，一個是固定時間點，另一個是趕在截止前完成。
J: So think about work. If you have a report due by 5:00 PM, you need to finish it “in time.”
J：想像在工作上，如果報告五點截止，你必須在截止前完成，也就是「in time」。
M: Right, before the deadline.
M：對，在期限之前完成。
J: But if the team meeting starts at 2:00 PM, you should arrive “on time.”
J：但如果團隊會議兩點開始，你就要「on time」準時到。
M: Okay, so let’s turn this into some easy patterns for everyone listening. How can they start using this right away?
M：好，那我們幫大家整理成好記的句型，馬上就能用。
M: So for meetings, appointments, anything with a set schedule, you’d say, “Please arrive on time.”
M：像會議、約會、任何有固定時間的事情，就說「請準時到達」。
M: But for that near-miss feeling, that “phew, I made it” moment…
M：但如果是那種差點來不及、鬆一口氣的情境……
J: That’s where you use “arrive just in time.”
J：就要用「arrive just in time」。
M: Like, “I arrived just in time for class.” That word “just” really adds to the feeling, doesn’t it?
M：例如「我剛好趕上上課」，那個「just」真的會加強那種驚險感。
J: It really emphasizes that you almost didn’t make it. It was close.
J：它強調你差點就沒趕上，真的很接近。
M: And this works for tasks too, right?
M：這也可以用在工作任務上對吧？
J: You can say, “I finished the task in time.” It means you completed it before the deadline.
J：你可以說「我及時完成任務」，意思是在截止前完成。
M: So, to wrap it all up: the difference seems small, but it’s all about schedule versus deadline.
M：總結一下，差別看起來很小，但重點在「固定時間」和「截止期限」。
J: That’s the most powerful way to think about it. It’s tiny, but it really changes the meaning of your story.
J：這是最好理解的方式，雖然差異很細微，但會大幅影響你講的故事意思。
M: And it’s one of those things that, once you get it, you’ll start hearing it everywhere.
M：而且一旦你搞懂了，就會到處聽到這個用法。
M: So if you want the full transcript with all these examples, the key vocabulary, and those useful sentence patterns we just went over…
M：如果你想要完整逐字稿、所有範例、重點單字和句型……
J: Just click the link below. We’ve got it all laid out for you.
J：只要點擊下方連結，我們都幫你整理好了。
M: It’s super helpful.
M：真的非常實用。
J: Well, that’s it from us for today. Until next time.
J：那今天就到這裡啦，下次見。
M: Keep noticing those tiny English differences.
M：繼續留意英文裡那些細微的差異喔。
J: Bye for now.
J：大家再見囉。
