Title: Spend vs Be
Duration: 5-7 minutes
Level: pre-int +
Language Focus: Commonly Confused Words
Objective: Vocabulary, To identify differences between two words
When talking about time and place,
What’s the Difference Between…
Spend and Be?
When talking about time, there are lots of common expressions.
For example:
- Time flies when you’re having fun!
- The third time is the charm!
There are also many verbs that we can use with time and place.
A common mistake that English learners make is:
– I was two weeks in New York.
– She was during three days in London.
How can we fix these sentences?
- I spent two weeks in New York. / I was in New York for three days.
- She spent three days in London. / She was in London for three days.
Notice the pattern:
spend + time
be + preposition + place (+ for + time)
In English, the verb to spend is used with money.
– We spent a fortune on our last holiday! Paris is really expensive.
– Madrid is a great city for art. Many of the museums have free days, so you don’t have to spend a lot of money.
But it’s also used to talk about duration.
Let’s look at some more examples:
- Last summer I went to Rio de Janeiro. I didn’t really get to know the city all that well, because I only spent five days there.
Next time I’ll have to spend more time. - As a child, Rob spent hours playing video games when he should have been studying!
(Note the structure: spend + time expression (hours, 2 years, 5 minutes) + verb + -ing)
So, to sum up…
When talking about time and place:
✅ spend + time expression
(I spent 2 months, He spent days, They spent weeks, We spent 10 years)
✅ be + in/at/on + a place
(We were in New York, I stayed at a friend’s house, You were on a boat)
The third time you try something, it will work.
