‘So Far’ vs ‘Until Now’: A Simple Guide to Saying Exactly What You Mean

MINI-LESSON: When to use ‘So Far’ and ‘Until Now‘
Originally posted on LinkedIn

Time: 3 minutes

Do you ever get confused about when to use “so far” or “until now“? Don’t worry—many students mix these up! But today, we’re going to clear up this misunderstanding once and for all. Let’s dive in!

👉 SO FAR

The expression “so far” is used when we’re in the middle of something. Imagine you’re on a journey—“so far” helps you talk about everything that’s happened up to this point, but it doesn’t include what might happen next because the journey isn’t over yet!

In simpler terms, use “so far” when a situation has started, but it hasn’t finished. We’re still in it!

Here are some examples:

✅ This is the best pizza I’ve had … so far!
(There might be better pizza out there, but up to this point, this one is winning!)

✅ How is your weekend going so far?
(The weekend isn’t over yet—just checking in on how it’s been until now.)

✅ So far, so good!
(Everything has been going well up to this point.)

✅ What have you done so far with your project?
(Tell me what you’ve accomplished up until now—the project isn’t finished yet.)

✅ So far, we’ve completed the business plan and set the first round of meetings.
(We’ve done this much, and we’re still working on the rest.)

Are you with me so far? 🤗 Great! Now, let’s move on to “until now.”

👉 UNTIL NOW

The expression “until now” is a bit different. It’s used when there’s been a change in the situation. In other words, something was true up to this moment, but now it’s different.

Let’s compare these two sentences:

• I’m happy with work so far.
  (I’m still happy, but we’ll see how things go in the future.)
• I was happy with work until now.
  (I used to be happy, but something has changed, and I’m not happy anymore.)

See the difference? “So far” means the situation continues, while “until now” signals a change.

Here are some more examples using “until now”:

✅ That was the best pizza I’d had … until now!
(This new pizza I’m eating is even better than any other pizza I’ve had before!)

✅ We didn’t have any problems with the project until now.
(We were problem-free, but something has come up, and now we’re facing an issue.)

✅ I’ve never thought about it that way until now.
(Something has made me see things differently, and my perspective has changed.)

⚠️ Important Note:

Remember, we DON’T use the past simple tense with “so far.”
With “until now,” however, you’ll often see past tenses or the present perfect, depending on the context.

Look at these examples:

Using “So Far” (Present Perfect Tense):

1. Correct: So far, I have visited three countries this year.
   Incorrect: So far, I visited three countries this year.
2. Correct: The project has gone smoothly so far.
   Incorrect: The project went smoothly so far.
3. Correct: She has completed two chapters so far.
   Incorrect: She completed two chapters so far.

Using “Until Now” (Past Tense or Present Perfect):

1. Past Tense: We didn’t have any issues until now.
   (Everything was fine before, but now there’s an issue.)
2. Present Perfect: I have never liked spicy food until now.
   *(I didn’t like it before, but my taste has changed.)
3. Past Tense: He was the team leader until now.
   (He used to be the leader, but something has changed.)

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Now it’s your turn! How would you use “so far” or “until now” in a sentence? Try it out!

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