Do you have a minute to spare to learn some English? Let Sam set out the difference between every time and all the time for you! Give us 60 seconds and we’ll give you the English!
Sam
Welcome to BBC Learning English. I’m Sam, and today we are looking at the difference between every time and all the time.
We use all the time to talk about something that always or usually happens. For example, many people think that: In the UK, it rains all the time. And yes, it does rain a lot.
We use every time when we are talking about each individual time something happens. For example: Every time I go to the beach, it rains. We don’t know how often I go to the beach, but each individual time I go, it rains.
There! We hope you learn something every time you watch one of these videos!
Every time vs all the time
Every time
We use every time when we are talking about each individual time something happens. We do not know how frequently this is, only that it happens each individual time.
- Every time I go to the beach, it rains.
- He’s very reliable. He’s there every time I need his help.
- It’s like magic! She guesses the correct card every time!
All the time
We use all the time to talk about something that always or usually happens.
- In the UK, it rains all the time.
- She’s late all the time. We have to talk to her manager.
- What’s their secret? They’re happy all the time!