迄Particles: where, when and who
From and until
Mark the start and end of a time or distance. One extra letter, に, changes “until” to “by”.
Start and end
から and まで
I work from nine to five.
I'll take the bullet train from Kyoto to Hiroshima.
More than time and place
から marks any starting point
I got an email from a friend.
A person it came from.
Wine is made from grapes.
A raw material.
The accident happened out of carelessness.
A cause.
Before a verb, and an extra meaning
まで can do more
I'll wait until my mother gets home.
Before a verb, it uses the plain form.
Even children know that story.
After a person or thing, it can mean an unexpected “even”.
Think about it
Which person has to keep working all the way to five o'clock?
First
五時まで働きます。Goji made hatarakimasu.Second
五時までに終わります。Goji madeni owarimasu.The rule
Lasting action, or once-off action
まで goes with something continuous: wait, study, stay. までに goes with something that happens once, before a deadline: finish, submit, arrive. A trap: 来週の月曜日まで休みます includes Monday in the time off, and you're back on Tuesday.
まで and までに are also different from 前に, “before”: 着くまでに finishes by the time you arrive, while 着く前に just happens earlier.
Your turn
まで or までに?
Check yourself
What does this tell you?
Say it yourself
Office hours
A client asks about your shop's hours and when an order is due. You're open 10 to 6, and the order needs to be placed by Friday.
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