By vs until - what's the difference?
By = deadline. The action happens at or before that time. One moment."Please send it by Friday." - before Friday ends, it must be doneUntil = duration.
By = deadline. The action happens at or before that time. One moment.
"Please send it by Friday." - before Friday ends, it must be done
Until = duration. The action continues up to that time, then stops.
"I'll be working until Friday." - working right up to Friday, then stopping
The test
Ask yourself - is this a point in time when something finishes, or a deadline for something to happen?
"We're open until 9pm." (we stay open continuously up to 9pm) β
"Please arrive by 9pm." (deadline - be here no later than 9pm) β
"We're open by 9pm." β - doesn't mean the same thing
Till is the same as until - informal:
"Wait till I get back." = "Wait until I get back."
By then / until then
"By then, we'll have finished." (at that future point, it'll be done)
"Until then, we keep going." (we continue up to that point)
What does "By vs until - what's the difference?" mean?
By = deadline. The action happens at or before that time. One moment."Please send it by Friday." - before Friday ends, it must be doneUntil = duration.
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