English: By vs till / until. It can be quite confusing when we are writing work emails to know if we should use by or until. It’s true that until can often be translated as ‘hasta‘ in Spanish, but not always.
BY
Meaning
- When ‘by’ is used to indicate time, it means:
- something can be done between now and the time indicated.
- not after the time indicated.
- includes the day or time mentioned.
Examples
- I’ll call you back by 3:00.
- (I’ll call you between now and 3:00)
- Please respond by Friday at the latest.
- (Respond between now and Friday)
- By what time do you need the payment?
- What time do you need the payment by?
- (When is the latest time for me to pay this?)
TILL / UNTIL
Meaning (positive)
- When till or until are used to indicate time, it means:
- the duration of a situation
- when the event ends
- till and until have the same meaning.
- till is more informal and not used in formal writing.
Examples
- I will be in the office until 6 o’clock to answer any of your questions.
- (I will not be here to answer you at 6 or later).
- We have until next month to pay the bill.
- (we can pay it any time this month)
- How much time do we have until they call?
- (How much time do we have to prepare before the phone rings)
Meaning (negative)
- In a positive statement, until means when something ends. However, in a negative statement, it usually means when something will begin.
Examples (negative)
- We can not get any information from them until we provide all the necesarry documents.
- (First the documents need to be turned in, then we will get the information)
- The results will not be listed until everyone has voted.
- (First all the votes take place. Then we get the results)
Common Mistakes
It is quite common for Spanish speakers to mix up by and until as they both are indicating a time when something ends. Take a look at some of these common errors.
- INCORRECT: You have by Tuesday to respond.
- CORRECT: You have until Tuesday to respond.
Practice
Fill in the blank space with by or until. Check your answers at the bottom of the post.
- Please, respond to this email ____ Thursday.
- I have to leave today ____ noon. I have a doctor appointment.
- I am requesting time off, from June 10th ____ the 16th.
- ____ Friday at the latest.
- ____ June, we will not have any results for you.
- The summer discount is available ____ September.
- ____ 5 o’clock the office is closed and everyone has gone home.
- ____ 5 o’clock the office is open and full of people.
- You should have the asnwer ____ Monday at the latest.
- ____ we find a solution, we are unable to check out databases.
English Writing
Now that you have seen English: By vs till / until, take a look at our other English Writing posts:
English Writing: Notifying errors
English Writing: Making requests in English
Cursos inglés
En la Escuela de Idiomas de la Cámara de Comercio de Álava tenemos cursos de inglés para mayores de 16 años. Ponte en contacto con nosotros para recibir más información
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