Time zones Present Simple and Continuous Version 2

New Cutting Edge Pre-Intermediate Module 4

Choose one of the countries below (or another country that you know or can more or less guess the time zone of) and talk about people’s probable actions at exactly this time and what their routines and habits are until your partner guesses which country you are talking about.

Possible things to talk about:

  • Festivals and celebrations
  • Food and drink
  • Manners
  • Time keeping
  • Clothes
  • Jobs
  • Transport 

12 hours behind/ ahead of Japan

Parts of Brazil

Nine hours behind Japan

The United Kingdom                     Ireland                              Iceland               

Eight hours behind Japan

Austria                                            Belgium                                         Algeria

The Czech Republic                     Denmark                                       Nigeria

France                                            Germany                                       The Vatican

Italy                                                                The Netherlands                           Switzerland       

Norway                                           Spain   

Seven hours behind Japan

Finland                                           Greece                                          Zimbabwe

Turkey                                             Egypt                                             South Africa


Six hours behind Japan

Saudi Arabia                                 Iraq                     Kenya                               Somalia                                                       

Five hour behind Japan

Oman                                                            The UAE

Four hours behind Japan

Pakistan                                                       The Maldives

Three hours behind Japan


Two hours behind Japan

Cambodia                                                    Thailand                                        Vietnam

One hour behind Japan

Hong Kong                                                   Malaysia                                        The Philippines

Mongolia                                                      Singapore                                      Taiwan

The same as Japan

South Korea                                                North Korea                                   Parts of Siberia

One hour ahead of Japan

Most of Australia

Three hours ahead of Japan

New Zealand

5 hours ahead of Japan


9 hours ahead of Japan

Parts of Mexico                             Easter Island (Chile)

10 hours ahead of Japan

The Bahamas                                Colombia                                       Cuba

Haiti                                                              Jamaica                                         Peru

11 hours ahead of Japan

Barbados                                                     Quebec (Canada)                         Bermuda           


Useful language

I guess/ I think/ I’m pretty sure that/ I’m certain that…

Everyone/ Almost everyone/ The majority of people (= Most people)/ Lots of people/ Some people…

At this time/ Around now

Always/ Almost always/ Very often/ Often/ Sometimes/ Rarely/ Hardly ever/ Almost never/ Never

Grammar presentation

What tenses did you use to speak about now and usually? 

What are the general structure and meanings of those tenses?

Which tense usually goes with these time expressions and why?

Usually                Often                                 How often                                       At the moment

Right now                         Every…

What tense is used to talk about these things?

Changes                          Routines                           Temporary things                         

Things which are generally true


PDF version for easy printing: Time zones present simple continuous 2


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