"So far" and "up to now" describe what has happened from the past to the present, neutrally; "until now" / "up until now" imply that something WAS THE CASE up to this point but that it NOW CHANGES (contrast with the present).
SO FAR / UP TO NOW: temporal markers accompanying the PRESENT PERFECT to describe the state of affairs from the past to the current moment. Without implying imminent change. "So far, the results have been positive" = neutral description of the current state, no implication of change. "Up to now, the project has stayed on budget." SO FAR can also be used with futures and conditionals: "How far have we got so far?" Position: at the beginning (followed by comma) or at the end of the sentence. UP TO NOW: similar position to SO FAR, generally at the beginning.
So far, the pilot program has generated a 23 percent improvement in customer satisfaction scores across all three test markets.
Up to now, the negotiation has proceeded constructively, with both parties demonstrating a genuine willingness to reach a mutually beneficial agreement.
The project has not encountered any significant technical obstacles so far, though the team remains alert to potential risks in the final integration phase.
UNTIL NOW / UP UNTIL NOW: temporal markers implying something was true up to THIS PRECISE MOMENT but will NO LONGER BE (or is about to change). "Until now, the team has operated without a dedicated project manager — this will change next month." "Up until now, no one has challenged this assumption" = no one had questioned it until now (implication: someone is questioning it now). Key difference from SO FAR: UNTIL NOW implies CONTRAST AND IMMINENT CHANGE. SO FAR is more neutral. "Up until now" is more emphatic and informal than "until now." In everyday English, however, the distinction is used intuitively and not always rigorously.
Until now, the company has relied on a single distribution partner for its entire Southeast Asian market — a diversification strategy will be implemented in Q2.
Up until now, all client onboarding has been handled manually by a dedicated team; the new automated platform will significantly reduce the time and cost per client.
Until now, no standardized reporting framework has existed across the group — the CFO has approved a unified template that will be mandatory from the next fiscal year.
Common mistake
Classic error: using SO FAR and UNTIL NOW interchangeably when nuance matters. "So far, no solution has been found, but we are now implementing a new approach" = here the change is implied — SO FAR or UNTIL NOW both work. But: "Until now, the approach was manual. From today, it is automated" = UNTIL NOW is much more natural because the sentence EXPLICITLY states the change (before/after contrast). "So far, the approach was manual" = sounds less natural when the change is already explained in the next sentence, because SO FAR simply describes the state without framing the contrast. Practical rule: if the next sentence explicitly says something changes = UNTIL NOW. If you are only describing the current state without announcing a change = SO FAR.
Trick to remember it
The CHANGE TEST: is there a "but now" / "from today" / "this will change" in the sentence or the next one? = UNTIL NOW (marking the before/now contrast). No explicit change announced? = SO FAR (neutral description of the current state). Visualization: SO FAR = timeline reaching the present, flat description. UNTIL NOW = timeline reaching the present and then TURNING (change of direction). "So far, everything is fine" = all is well until now (no implication of change). "Until now, everything has been fine [but the new regulation changes things]" = all was fine up to this point (and now it changes).
Quick rule
So far / up to now = neutral (the state until now, no change implied). Until now / up until now = contrast (until now BUT now it changes). Both go with present perfect. "So far we have succeeded" (neutral). "Until now we have succeeded — but the new competition changes everything" (contrast).
Did you know?
Temporal markers like SO FAR, UNTIL NOW, UP TO NOW, and THUS FAR are examples of what linguists call "temporal deictic anchors" — expressions that only have meaning in relation to the MOMENT OF SPEECH (the speaker's "now"). All these expressions require knowing when they are uttered to understand what period they refer to. This property — called TEMPORAL DEIXIS — is universal in human languages, but languages differ in how explicit these anchors are. English is relatively explicit (so far, until now, by now, as of today). Spanish is also explicit (hasta ahora, hasta el momento, a dia de hoy). Mandarin, on the other hand, frequently omits these explicit temporal markers and lets context determine temporal reference, which can generate misunderstandings in Mandarin-to-English translation if the translator does not add the explicit deictic anchors.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The platform has processed over two million transactions _____ without a single confirmed case of payment fraud or unauthorized data access.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The entire procurement process has been handled by a single department head _____ — starting next quarter, a dedicated procurement team of five specialists will take over.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
So far / up to now = neutral (the state until now, no change implied). Until now / up until now = contrast (until now BUT now it changes). Both go with present perfect. "So far we have succeeded" (neutral). "Until now we have succeeded — but the new competition changes everything" (contrast).
Classic error: using SO FAR and UNTIL NOW interchangeably when nuance matters. "So far, no solution has been found, but we are now implementing a new approach" = here the change is implied — SO FAR or UNTIL NOW both work. But: "Until now, the approach was manual. From today, it is automated" = UNTIL NOW is much more natural because the sentence EXPLICITLY states the change (before/after contrast). "So far, the approach was manual" = sounds less natural when the change is already explained in the next sentence, because SO FAR simply describes the state without framing the contrast. Practical rule: if the next sentence explicitly says something changes = UNTIL NOW. If you are only describing the current state without announcing a change = SO FAR.
The CHANGE TEST: is there a "but now" / "from today" / "this will change" in the sentence or the next one? = UNTIL NOW (marking the before/now contrast). No explicit change announced? = SO FAR (neutral description of the current state). Visualization: SO FAR = timeline reaching the present, flat description. UNTIL NOW = timeline reaching the present and then TURNING (change of direction). "So far, everything is fine" = all is well until now (no implication of change). "Until now, everything has been fine [but the new regulation changes things]" = all was fine up to this point (and now it changes).
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy