まで

まで Japanese Grammar Lesson

Grammar Type: Particle

Essential Meaning: Up to / Until / As far as / Through

Construction: 

• Time / Location Noun + まで
  • E.g. 駅えきまで [Up to the station]
  • E.g. 3時じまで [Through 3 o’clock]

• Noun + まで
  • E.g. ヘビまで [Up to / As far as snakes]

• Number / Counter + まで
  • E.g. 三人さんにんまで [Up to 3 people]

Notes:

• X まで basically means “Until X“, “Up to X“, or “As far as X“.

• まで is commonly used with locations to convey movement up to a particular location.
  • E.g. 駅えきから大学だいがくまでは歩あるいて十分じゅうぷんくらいです。[From the station to the university is about 10 minutes on foot.]

• With non-location nouns, X まで means “Through X” or “As far as X” in a more metaphorical sense.
  • E.g. 私わたしはへびまで好すきだ。[I liked animals as far as snakes (I like animals so much that I even like snakes).]

• With time nouns, X まで means “Through time X“. Note that X is inclusive, so ７時じまで means “Through 7 o’clock” rather than “Up to 7 o’clock“. In other words, it means “Up to 8 o’clock“.
  • E.g. 私わたしは来週らいしゅうの月曜日げつようびまで休やすみます。[I’ll be absent through next Monday (up to next Tuesday).]

Example Sentences:

このホールは二千人にせんにんまで入はいれる。[This hall can fit up to 2000 people.]

あの人ひとはねずみやスカンクはもちろんへびまで好すきだ。[That person not only likes snakes and mice, they even go as far as liking snakes.]

アメリカ人じんは毎週まいしゅう月曜日げつようびから金曜日きんようびまで働はたらく。[Americans work every week from Monday through Friday.]

スミスさんは刺身さしみはもちろん、納豆なっとうまで食たべるんですよ。[Mr. Smith not only eats sashimi, he even goes as far eating natto.]

飛行機ひこうきが出でるまでロビーで友達ともだちと話はなしていた。[Up until the plane departed, I was speaking with my friend in the lobby.]

WILD Examples:

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