Time in the Past

All right so we’re moving right along on our phrases and words that we used to talk about time.

I know a lot of this stuff is simple but I hope the examples helped to make it super clear for you so that you don’t have to think twice when you’re using them.

Now let’s look at back then.

And at that time which are basically the same and we use these two phrases when we want to reference a time that happened before in the past usually usually long ago Long ago.

OK.

So for example I mentioned the eighteen forties and then I say something after that about that time I would say back then is more common.

One thing that’s important to notice and pay attention to about back then is that you’ve already mentioned the time first.

You can’t start with back then because people will then say back when what are you talking about.

What you have to first say the time you have to first mentioned the time or the time period and then and then you can use back then.

And that’s also how at that time is typically used although at that time can be used to talk about the future and we’ll do an example of that too.

OK so let’s let’s get into an example then my my great grandfather was born in nineteen oh for nineteen oh four.

Long time ago back then.

Back then comma cars were not popular.

Notice I’ve said when I’m talking about first I’ve now made a new sentence and said back then this is usually how it’s done.

This is not for something that happened last week.

It’s usually years ago years ago not even months ago years ago many many years ago often.

So we can use it to talk about our childhood for example.

I grew up in the 90s.

Back then we didn’t really have the internet back then we didn’t really have the internet.

I grew up in the 90s back then.

Back then we didn’t have the Internet.

Now if you’re the person watching this thinking wait a second we had the internet in the 90s.

OK that’s true.

But when I was a kid in the 90s it wasn’t a popular thing like it is now.

Yes it’s true.

It was there but not many people used it.

Common people used it for everyday things to buy whatever buy stuff watch movies like we do now in the nineteen thirties the USA experienced tough economic times tough economic times.

All right.

At that time and we could also say back then here at that time getting a job notice I have a comma here getting a job was not easy.

OK back then getting a job was not easy.

All right.

So pretty simple these two back then at that time.

I just want to be clear that we can use at that time in more places but I also want to be clear that when we’re talking about the past I would say back then is more common.

I feel like I hear it much more often than saying at that time but you can use at that time in the future for example the speaker will talk until seven thirty at that time people can ask questions.

OK.

So here at that time is about the future.

So it’s a bit more general.

It can be used in more places but that doesn’t mean it’s more common.

I feel like back then is much more common.

I hear it more often.