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’.
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.
TILL / UNTIL
Examples
- By what time do you need the payment?
- (When is the latest time for me to pay this?)
- What time do you need the payment by?
- 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)
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 necessary 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 non native 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.
English Grammar
Now that you have seen ‘English: By vs. till / until’, take a look at our other English Grammar posts:
English Writing: Notifying errors
English Writing: Making requests in English
