"At a concrete time"

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Rachel Adams

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Would you use "concrete" instead of "special" in a sentence like mine?

"I don't drink tea at a concrete time."
 
I would prefer "specific".
 
Would you use "concrete" instead of "special" in a sentence like mine?

"I don't drink tea at a concrete time."
No. It's not the right word.
 
Neither "concrete" nor "special" work in that sentence. Like Yankee, I'd use "specific". You could also use "particular".
 
Or at a set time.
 
Neither "concrete" nor "special" work in that sentence. Like Yankee, I'd use "specific". You could also use "particular".

I used "At a special time" after reading a text in my book "English File" by Christina Koenig. "The British don't drink tea at a special time."
 
I find that quite unnatural. Is Christina Koenig a native English speaker?
 
Not a teacher
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I think I can find a context in which special time works. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

"I'm from Poorland. I am so poor I have to get up in the morning at ten o'clock at night, half an hour before I go to bed, work twenty-nine hours a day at a mill, and when and if I can afford a single teabag, I keep it for special occasions only, to celebrate. I've heard the British are so filthy rich they don't drink tea at a special time. They don't even drink it at a specific time, though some prefer at five o'clock."

I don't think I can justify concrete time.
 
I used "At a special time" after reading a text in my book "English File" by Christina Koenig. "The British don't drink tea at a special time."
That information should have been in post #1 of your thread, Rachel, not #6.

I find that quite unnatural. Is Christina Koenig a native English speaker?
She's Spanish. [link]
 
Having looked at various other sites, I agree with Piscean. It appears that she's British but spent a lot of time working in Spain.
 
I used "At a special time" after reading a text in my book "English File" by Christina Koenig. "The British don't drink tea at a special time."

She might be thinking about 5 o'clock tea, when we happily drink tea all day.
 
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