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SBS Australia
27-05-2025
- Health
- SBS Australia
#87 Managing screen time (Med)
This lesson is suitable for intermediate-level learners. After listening, test your knowledge with our quiz. Learning notes Lesson learning objective: Learn how to describe different ways you can manage screen time. Different phrases you can use when talking about time: People are making fun of me online I need some time away from my phone There's so much inappropriate content online They're glued to their phones I need to pull the plug on social media I had to limit screen time We need to set some hard limits I'm losing them to a screen! Driving me crazy is a phrase used to say that something is making you very upset or annoyed. I get it means I understand. Same here means I agree and think the same way. If something is hard to keep track it is hard to follow or pay attention to. To make fun of someone is to tease them in a way thatis not very nice. To be in the same boat as someone is to be in a similar position or situation as someone. To bully someone is to be unkind and aggressive, often to get them to do something for you or to make them feel bad over a period of time. To harass someone is to continue to be unpleasant or aggressive to someone on a regular basis. Cyberbullying is the use of technology or the internet to harass or bully someone. Inappropriate content can be content that is upsetting, disturbing and is generally unsuitable for the audience or viewer. If you want to stress that something is happening continuously and at this very moment , you can use the present continuous (am/is/are + verb + ing) instead of the present simple, as in: Allan: My kids are driving me crazy. we're losing them to a screen. I'm thinking no social media Practise speaking dialogue from this episode: SBS English 27/05/2025 04:00 Transcript: (Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript) SBS acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country and their connections and continuous care for the skies, lands, and waterways throughout Australia. Hey everyone, Kate here! Today we are going to be putting down our phones and getting away from the internet for a while. I need some space, that's for sure. We can say we need some time away or some space from something when we need to stop doing it for a while, normally because it has become unhealthy for us. There's so much inappropriate content out there on the internet, not to mention cyberbullying, that is people being very unpleasant or aggressive to other people online. It seems like everyone's talking about screen time these days — how much our kids should have, how much we should have, whether there should be bans for kids…It's one of those hot topics that keeps coming up in conversations between parents, carers, and adults in general. This episode isn't about how to talk to your kids about it — it's about how to join the conversation that's happening all around you. Allan and Claire have got some tips for us. Let's have a listen to how they deal with screen time in their homes. Allan: My kids are driving me crazy. They're glued to their phones all the time. Maybe I need to pull the plug on socials for a while. Claire: I get it. Same here. I had to limit screen time for my kids too. Allan: Yeah, I think it's time we set some boundaries. I feel like we're losing them to a screen. Claire: And it's not just the time they spend on-line—there's so much inappropriate stuff out there. It's scary. Cyberbullying is real. I don't know if I need to monitor everything they do. Allan: I know. And it's hard to keep track of it all. I'm thinking no social media during the week, and only an hour on weekends. Hmm... seems like Allan and Claire think that it is important to set some rules around screen time with their kids. Could you follow? Let's go through it together. Allan said, My kids are driving me crazy. They're glued to their phones all the time. Driving me crazy! If something is driving you crazy it means that something really annoys you, and when it comes to kids – leaving dirty dishes, leaving clothes on the floor, staring at their phones and not paying attention to anything know that these things can really drive us crazy! Seems like Allan's kids keep staring at their phones, so it looks as though they are physically stuck there and are actually glued to them! He continued, Maybe I need to pull the plug on socials for a while. We can say we will pull the plug on something if we want to end it. Like literally pulling the electrical connection – the plug – from the wall. Allan wants to stop his kids using social media for a while which he calls socials for short. That will really drive his kids crazy for sure! Claire replied, I get it. Same here. I had to limit screen time for my kids too. Claires understands – she 'get's it'- and she says 'same here' which means that she agrees and thinks the same way. She's in the same boat as Allan, that is, she is in a similar position to him or is doing the same thing. She's not exactly pulling the plug on her kids' screen time, but she's at least limiting it or cutting it short it, and that's a start Allan responded, I think it's time we set some boundaries. I feel like we're losing them to a screen. Sheesh. It must be tricky raising kids in this generation when everyone is online. Allan even feels he's losing his kids to a screen! We can say we are losing someone to something if they are pre-occupied with it or we feel that it's taking over their life. I can relate to that. I feel like I'm losing my friend to Football because it's the only thing he ever talks about anymore! To stop losing his kids to their phones, Allan is going to set some hard limits on their screen time, that is, he's going to set some limits which he wants to be followed exactly. He does not want to be flexible, and only set soft limits. Claire replied, There's so much inappropriate stuff out there. Cyberbullying is real. Claire's concerned about the inappropriate, or unsuitable, content that her kids are viewing online. And she's also worried about cyberbullying, which is when people harass or bully other people on-line, because it is a big problem for kids online and can be happening without the parents' knowing anything about it. By the way, to bully someone is to be unkind and aggressive, often to get them to do something for you or to make them feel bad over a period of time. Setting hard limits on screen time and pulling the plug on their social media is a good way to prevent losing their kids to their phones, even if it will drive them crazy! Claire also said, I don't know if I need to monitor everything they do. To monitor someone or something means to watch or check regularly to see what is happening. You can monitor a person (for example, a child or a patient) or monitor something (like your screen time or your heart rate). Allan replied, it's hard to keep track of it all. I'm thinking no social media during the week, and only an hour on weekends. Seems his solution was a hard limit of socials during the week, so the kids aren't glued to their phones. He's not pulling the plug entirely though. He's letting them have an hour on the weekends. Allan Also said it's hard to keep track of it all, which is to say, he finds it difficult to follow all the rules and to know what to do about setting limits around his kids' screen time. We say we are keeping track if we are following along, particularly when things are changing. For example, I could say it's hard to keep track of all the work I have to do before I go on holidays, but I am definitely keeping track of what's happening in my favourite TV show. Well, I hope you guys have been keeping track of the dialogue but it's ok if you found it hard, because we can listen to it again! Sign up for previews, updates and to provide feedback. A big thank you to our guest Paul Nicholson and Lily O'Sullivan voiced the characters of Allan and Claire, and Professor Lynda Yates was our educational consultant.
SBS Australia
15-05-2025
- General
- SBS Australia
SBS Learn English: When? Talking about time + BONUS episode
This lesson is suitable for intermediate-level learners. After listening, test your knowledge with our quiz.
SBS Australia
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
#86 When? Talking about time (Med)
This lesson is suitable for intermediate-level learners. After listening, test your knowledge with our quiz. Learning notes Different phrases you can use when talking about time: Sorry, something's popped up, I'm running late. I'm running behind. I'll be there on the dot. My train got delayed. I lost track of time The day just has just flown by. I'll be there in roughly 15 minutes. To be punctual means to arrive at the planned time. To pop up is to happen unexpectedly, so we can say that something it has popped up if something happens that we did not expect. To show up is an informal way to saying to arrive. If something is not such a big deal , it means that it is not so very important. To be running late means that you are not going to be on time so the clock is running out. For ages is an informal phrase that means a long time Being fashionably late is to be late often and can also mean arriving at a party or event late to avoid being one of the first people to arrive. Time flies is a phrase that describes the feeling that times is passing or has passed very quickly. The clock is ticking is an informal way of telling to say hurry up. If your time runs out then you don't have any time left. If you want to talk about something that started in the past but is not yet finished or is very relevant to the present you can use the present perfect tense as in: Sorry, something's popped up, I'm running late. something + has + popped up I've lost track of time. He's always been like this! Maybe there have been delays on the train. We often use this tense together with words like 'just' which stress that something has happened in the recent past: The day just has just flown. Or with words which stress that something started in the past still isn't finished, like 'yet': She hasn't yet finished everything. When we speak, though, we usually say words like 'have' or 'has' very quickly, so they become 's and 've and can be difficult to hear. So in the dialogue we didn't hear the full form: Something 's popped up I 've lost track of time And so on... Practise speaking dialogue from this episode: SBS English 13/05/2025 03:49 Transcript: (Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript) SBS acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country and their connections and continuous care for the skies, lands, and waterways throughout Australia. Imagine this. You wake up feeling good, you get ready, and leave home right on time. You don't want to be late for your friend's surprise birthday party. But when you get to the train station… oh no! The train is delayed! That's me today. I'm stuck, and I don't know what to say to my friend. Hi, I'm Josipa — and today, we're talking about time. Are you someone who's always on time? Someone who's used to being punctual? To be punctual means to arrive at the planned time. In Australia, many people see being punctual as a sign of respect — or being professional. But in some countries, like Saudi Arabia, India, Fiji or Nigeria, people are not always so strict about time and can be more flexible. Being a bit late isn't always such a big deal. If something is not such a big deal, it means that it is not so very important. Maybe you're like me — I try to be on time, but I still often end up running late! If you're running late, it's not you that is running here (although you might be!!)– it's the clock that is running – it's just a way of saying that you are not going to be on time. However, you see time, knowing how to talk about it is really useful. We use time expressions every day — to make plans, to explain when things happen, or to say if we're early or late. If you can talk about time clearly, it helps you stay organised and avoid confusion. So let's listen to Allan and Claire as they try to sort out their plans — and learn some handy ways to talk about time along the way. Claire Allan Hey Claire, sorry, something's popped up, I'm running late. Claire No worries! I'm running behind anyway, so no stress. Allan Thanks, I thought I was going to be there on the dot, but my train got delayed. Claire All good! I've lost track of time myself. Honestly, the day just has just flown by. Allan Same here. I should be there in roughly 15 minutes. Looks like Allan's going to be fashionably late — just like me! If you're fashionably late , it means you arrive a bit late, like guests who are famous who often arrive a little late because they are so important. Anyway, I've known Allan for ages — that means for a long time — and yep, he's always been like this! He said, Sorry, something's popped up, I'm running late. Allan is running late because something's popped up. When something happens unexpectedly, you can say it has popped up. So I'm going to be fashionably late to my friends' birthday today because something's popped up – maybe there have been delays on the train. Allan also said he's running late. We often use the word running when we're talking about time. It's like we have the idea of a clock that is running all the time and we are trying to keep up with it. For example, if you tell someone I'm running late, it means you won't arrive on time. You can also say I'm running early if you'll arrive earlier than expected. Do you remember if Claire said she's running late ? She said… I'm running behind anyway, so no stress. Claire is running behind . That means she hasn't yet finished everything she wanted to do before the meeting. If something isn't ready, or you don't think you'll finish it on time, you can say you're running behind . For example, I could now say to my friend, 'Don't wait for me! I'm running behind.' Allan then said, I thought I was going to be there on the dot, but my train got delayed. Allan hoped he would be there on the dot ! If you arrive on the dot , it means you're right on time — perfectly punctual. I guess this phrase comes from when the hands on a clock hit the exact spot — the dot! Now we know what popped up for Allan — he's running late because his train was delayed. That means the train is running behind schedule . Trains, buses, and planes get delayed all the time. It's probably the most common reason people have – or at least give – if they don't arrive on the dot! Back to Claire, I've lost track of time myself. I've lost track of time. To lose track of time is to be so busy or focused on something that we don't realise how much time has passed. It's that feeling when you're deep in work or doing something fun… then you check the time — and it's much later than you thought! That's what we mean when we say 'I've lost track of time.' Claire also said, Honestly, the day's just flown by. We often talk about time like it moves — and a common phrase is 'time flies.' This means time feels like it's going by really quickly. Like when you see a child growing up and think, 'Weren't they just a baby yesterday?' That's a perfect moment to say, 'Wow, time flies!' for previews, updates and to provide feedback. A big thank you to our guest Ramy Aly . Paul Nicholson and Lily O'Sullivan voiced the characters of Allan and Claire, and Professor Lynda Yates was our educational consultant.
BreakingNews.ie
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- BreakingNews.ie
Driving test backlog reaches new high: Check the latest waiting time in your area
Ireland's driving test backlog has reached another high while waiting times continue to worsen, new figures show. Data from the Road Safety Authority (RSA) reveal that more than 83,000 applicants were waiting for a driving test in April – the highest number recorded since the pandemic. Advertisement The backlog was 58,860 in April 2024 and reached 72,414 in January this year, before hitting a record 83,486 applicants last month. Waiting times have also worsened significantly this year – the estimated wait for a driving test nationally in April was 27.3 weeks, or between 6-7 months, according to the RSA. In April last year the wait time nationally was 14.9 weeks. The RSA aims to give applicants a test within 10 to 12 weeks of applying, but the last time it was within target nationally was almost three years ago in July 2022. Advertisement The wait for learner drivers in April varied significantly depending on the test centre, though all locations had at least a five-month wait. Navan and Tallaght had the longest wait times out of all the State's driving test centres, with applicants waiting an estimated 43 weeks. Galway's Carnmore test centre was the location with the next longest wait, estimated at 42 weeks. The centres in Clifden, Tralee and Gorey had the shortest queue time last month – but applicants still faced a 21-week wait for a driving test. Advertisement The new figures also reveal that waiting times have got significantly longer over the past year at all of the 60 test centres in the country. Learner drivers applying for a test in Limerick's Woodview centre had a nine-week wait in April last year. By this year that had rocketed to an estimated 31-week wait. The picture is similar across the country, with several test centres recording their longest-ever wait times in April. Driving tests have moved up the political agenda in recent months, with Minister of State Seán Canney saying that "all options" are under consideration to address the backlog. Advertisement "The service is not right and it needs to be rectified," he told the Dáil last week. Ireland RSA need to get act together to tackle driving tes... Read More Mr Canney said he had instructed the RSA to review its plan to get test times down to 10 weeks and "identify further measures that will bring forward the date for achieving the target". The newly appointed chairman of the Oireachtas transport committee, Fine Gael TD Michael Murphy, said he was seeking an early meeting with the RSA "to allow them to outline what they are doing to tackle growing waiting lists for driving tests". The RSA has said a record number of tests took place last year, with 253,850 carried out, up from 196,853 in 2023. The authority has also begun to recruit more testers in order to bring waiting lists down by the end of the year.
