Punctuality by occasion
Neutral Neutral
What it really means
A rough guide: interviews, doctors, lectures, trains — arrive early. Coffee with a friend — on time to 5 minutes late. Dinner at someone's home — 5 to 15 minutes late. House party — 30 to 60 minutes after the start time; arriving on time to a party can catch the host in the shower. When invited, "7 for 7:30" means arrive at 7, dinner at 7:30.
Chinese explanation
大致标准：面试、看医生、上课、火车——提前到。朋友喝咖啡——准时到晚5分钟。去别人家吃晚饭——晚5到15分钟。家庭派对——比开始时间晚30到60分钟；准点到派对可能撞上主人还在洗澡。请柬上"7 for 7:30"的意思是7点到场、7点半开饭。
Example conversation
A: The party invite says eight o'clock. When do people actually turn up?
B: Half eight at the earliest. Only the host's parents arrive at eight.
A：派对请帖上写八点。大家实际几点到？
B：最早八点半。八点准时到的只有主人的父母。
What you could say back
No spoken reply needed for this one.
Related phrases
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· Last checked 24 July 2026 · Report a mistake