"It is time" can take a to-infinitive or past simple; "it is high time" takes ONLY the past simple (subjunctive/past conditional form). "It is high time to leave" = incorrect; "it is high time we left" = correct.
IT IS TIME: expresses that the moment for an action has arrived or is appropriate. TWO STRUCTURES: (1) IT IS TIME + TO-INFINITIVE (general/impersonal subject): "It is time to start the meeting" (general, no specific person). (2) IT IS TIME + SUBJECT + PAST SIMPLE (past subjunctive): "It is time we started the meeting" = it is time for us to start. In structure 2, the past simple has no past value — it is a PAST SUBJUNCTIVE expressing urgency or that the action should already have happened: "It is time you got a job" = it is time you found a job (with implicit criticism). The more urgent or critical = the more natural the past simple structure.
It is time to revisit the company's geographic expansion strategy, given the significant changes in the competitive landscape over the past eighteen months.
It is time the leadership team acknowledged the systemic nature of the performance issues rather than treating each incident as an isolated case.
It is time we had a candid conversation about the project timeline, as the current schedule is no longer realistic given the resource constraints.
IT IS HIGH TIME: EMPHATIC version of "it is time" — emphasizes that the action has been delayed too long, that it SHOULD have happened already. "High" here means "fully" or "completely." SINGLE STRUCTURE: IT IS HIGH TIME + SUBJECT + PAST SIMPLE. "It is high time the government took action" = it is more than time (and should have happened already) for the government to act (with criticism: they have delayed too long). "It is high time you apologized" = it is time for you to apologize (should have been done before). ERRORS: "It is high time to take action" = INCORRECT (HIGH TIME does not accept a to-infinitive, only past simple with subject). "It is high time that we take action" = INCORRECT (verb must be in PAST: "took," not "take").
It is high time the industry adopted a unified set of data privacy standards rather than allowing each company to define its own protocols independently.
It is high time we moved away from a purely reactive approach to cybersecurity and invested in proactive threat detection and prevention capabilities.
It is high time the procurement team renegotiated the legacy vendor contracts that have remained unchanged for the past seven years despite significant market shifts.
Common mistake
CLASSIC ERRORS: (1) "It is high time to do" = INCORRECT. HIGH TIME requires subject + past simple. "It is high time to reform the system" = INCORRECT. Correct: "It is high time we/they/the government reformed the system." (2) "It is high time that we do" = INCORRECT. The verb must be past: "It is high time that we DID / that the government REFORMED." (3) "It is time they will change" = INCORRECT. No future — always past simple: "It is time they changed." (4) Confusing the meaning of the past: in "It is time we STARTED," STARTED is not historical past — it is a past subjunctive (an action in the present or future that should happen).
Trick to remember it
THE "SHOULD-PAST" RULE: when you use IT IS TIME or IT IS HIGH TIME with a specific subject, the verb goes in the PAST even though the action is present or future. Why? The past simple in this context is a SUBJUNCTIVE indicating modal distance — the action is not real yet, but it should be. Memory aid: "It is high TIME = the ideal time has already PASSED" — that is why the verb is in past tense. HIGH TIME = the situation is CRITICAL and has been delayed too long (the time is already high = it is already very late). For IT IS TIME without HIGH: also accepts a to-infinitive when there is no specific subject: "It is time TO GO" (general) vs "It is time WE WENT" (we specifically).
Quick rule
It is time + to-infinitive (impersonal subject) or + subject + past simple (specific subject). It is high time + subject + past simple ALWAYS (never to-infinitive). The past simple here = urgency subjunctive (does not mean "in the past"). "It is high time we acted" = it is more than time for us to act.
Did you know?
The structure "it is time + past simple" is one of the rare vestiges of the SUBJUNCTIVE in modern English. Old and Middle English had a rich subjunctive system (similar to Spanish), but this was progressively eroded until modern English retains it in only a few fixed constructions. The main subjunctive survivors in English are: (1) the present subjunctive in formal clauses ("I suggest that he GO," "The committee demands that she ATTEND" — no -s in third person). (2) The past subjunctive in unreal conditionals ("If I WERE you" — not "was"). (3) The past subjunctive in "It is time" and "It is high time." These structures are used daily even though native speakers do not know they are using the subjunctive — they simply learned the fixed form.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The strategic review has been postponed for three consecutive quarters. It is high time the executive committee _____ a definitive decision on the direction of the business.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The new quarter starts in two weeks. _____ review the sales forecasting methodology before the planning cycle begins.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
It is time + to-infinitive (impersonal subject) or + subject + past simple (specific subject). It is high time + subject + past simple ALWAYS (never to-infinitive). The past simple here = urgency subjunctive (does not mean "in the past"). "It is high time we acted" = it is more than time for us to act.
CLASSIC ERRORS: (1) "It is high time to do" = INCORRECT. HIGH TIME requires subject + past simple. "It is high time to reform the system" = INCORRECT. Correct: "It is high time we/they/the government reformed the system." (2) "It is high time that we do" = INCORRECT. The verb must be past: "It is high time that we DID / that the government REFORMED." (3) "It is time they will change" = INCORRECT. No future — always past simple: "It is time they changed." (4) Confusing the meaning of the past: in "It is time we STARTED," STARTED is not historical past — it is a past subjunctive (an action in the present or future that should happen).
THE "SHOULD-PAST" RULE: when you use IT IS TIME or IT IS HIGH TIME with a specific subject, the verb goes in the PAST even though the action is present or future. Why? The past simple in this context is a SUBJUNCTIVE indicating modal distance — the action is not real yet, but it should be. Memory aid: "It is high TIME = the ideal time has already PASSED" — that is why the verb is in past tense. HIGH TIME = the situation is CRITICAL and has been delayed too long (the time is already high = it is already very late). For IT IS TIME without HIGH: also accepts a to-infinitive when there is no specific subject: "It is time TO GO" (general) vs "It is time WE WENT" (we specifically).
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy