until
gb/ʌntˈɪl/ us/ʌntˈɪl/
A1
English
~ 1500
-ig, amíg
A1
1
Usage pattern:
[action/event] until [time/event]
The store is open until 9 p.m.
Az üzlet este 9-ig van nyitva.
You should wait until the light turns green.
Meg kellene várnod, amíg zöldre vált a lámpa.
We talked until midnight.
I’ll stay here until you get back.
The offer is valid until the end of the month.
Learner examples
I will work until 5 p.m.
Délután 5-ig fogok dolgozni.
Wait until I call you.
Várj, amíg fel nem hívlak.
She stayed until it was dark.
The shop is open until 6 o’clock.
Don’t eat until dinner.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'until' with 'by'. 'By' means 'no later than', while 'until' means 'up to that point and not after'.
Meaning
Up to a certain time
Collocations
wait until
|open until
|valid until
|stay until
|until now
Synonyms
till (Less formal and more common in spoken English.)
Antonyms
since (Indicates the starting point of an action or state, rather than its ending point.)
Themes
daily life
|time
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Shows the time when something stops or changes.
Indicating the point in time before which something does not happen or is not the case, and at which it changes or ends.
A1
2
amíg
A2
Usage pattern:
[do something] until [something happens]
Stay here until I return.
Maradj itt, amíg vissza nem jövök.
We can’t leave until the rain stops.
Nem indulhatunk el, amíg el nem áll az eső.
He slept until the alarm rang.
Don’t open the box until your birthday.
They played outside until it got dark.
Learner examples
Wait here until I come back.
Várj itt, amíg vissza nem jövök.
We can’t eat until Dad is home.
Nem ehetünk, amíg apa haza nem ér.
She worked until she was tired.
He stayed in bed until noon.
I will wait until you are ready.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use 'for' instead of 'until'. 'For' shows duration, but 'until' shows the end point of that duration.
Meaning
Before something happens
Collocations
wait until
|stay until
|until he arrives
|until it stops
Synonyms
till (Interchangeable in most informal contexts.)
Antonyms
once (Indicates the start of an event after a specific moment, not continuation before it.)
Themes
daily life
|time
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Shows that something happens for all the time before another thing happens.
Used to show that something continues to happen during the time before another event occurs.
Grammar
Dictionary form
until
IPA
GB/ʌntˈɪl/
US/ʌntˈɪl/
Syllables & stress
un - til (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (til)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: until
- Plural: untils
Word family
Forms
untils
noun
Related words
till
preposition A2
Expressions
from now until
1/fɹˈʌm nˈaʊ ʌntˈɪl/
fixed phrase
From now to a future time
From this moment up to a certain future moment.
Examples
- From now until Friday, we will be very busy.
- You can contact me anytime from now until next week.
not until
1/nˈɑt ʌntˈɪl/
fixed phrase
Only after a certain time/event
Shows that something happens only after a certain time or event, not before.
Examples
- It’s not safe to swim not until the lifeguard arrives.
- She didn’t leave the party not until midnight.
until now
1/ʌntˈɪl nˈaʊ/
fixed phrase
Up to this moment
Until the present time.
Examples
- Until now, we have had no problems.
- I didn’t know about this until now.