Ever, Never, Recently, Lately, So Far, Up to Now, Until Now (1–25)

Ever, Never, Recently, Lately, So Far, Up to Now, Until Now

We use these words to talk about experience, recent time, and a period that continues from the past up to the present.

Example: Have you ever been to London?
[Warst du jemals in London?]

For German speakers:
These words can also be explained through the idea of “from the past until now”. They refer to a period that begins at some point in the past and reaches the present moment.

ever = ever / at any time in your life
[ever = jemals / irgendwann]
It is mostly used in questions or with superlatives.
Have you ever visited London?
[Warst du jemals in London?]
This is the best restaurant I have ever visited.
[Das ist das beste Restaurant, das ich jemals besucht habe.]
Time idea: sometime in life until now
[Zeitidee: irgendwann im Leben bis jetzt]

never = never / not ever until now
[never = noch nie / niemals]
It means at no time until now.
I have never seen this film.
[Ich habe diesen Film noch nie gesehen.]
She has never travelled to Asia.
[Sie ist noch nie nach Asien gereist.]
Time idea: not in the whole time until now
[Zeitidee: in der ganzen Zeit bis jetzt nicht]

recently = recently
[recently = kürzlich]
Something happened a short time ago.
I have recently changed my job.
[Ich habe kürzlich meinen Job gewechselt.]
She has recently moved to Berlin.
[Sie ist kürzlich nach Berlin gezogen.]
Time idea: a short time ago leading up to now
[Zeitidee: vor kurzer Zeit → jetzt]

lately = lately / in the recent period
[lately = in letzter Zeit]
It means in the last period until now.
I have been very busy lately.
[Ich war in letzter Zeit sehr beschäftigt.]
Have you spoken to him lately?
[Hast du in letzter Zeit mit ihm gesprochen?]
Time idea: in the last period until now
[Zeitidee: in der letzten Zeit → bis jetzt]

so far = so far / until this moment
[so far = bisher]
It means until this moment.
We have sold 200 units so far.
[Wir haben bisher 200 Stück verkauft.]
So far, everything has gone well.
[Bisher ist alles gut gelaufen.]
Time idea: until now
[Zeitidee: bis jetzt]

up to now = up to now
[up to now = bis jetzt]
It is very similar to so far.
Up to now, the project has been successful.
[Bis jetzt war das Projekt erfolgreich.]
Time idea: until now
[Zeitidee: bis jetzt]

until now = until now / until this point
[until now = bis jetzt / bis zu diesem Zeitpunkt]
It often emphasizes a change in the situation.
Until now, I have never had this problem.
[Bis jetzt hatte ich dieses Problem noch nie.]
Time idea: until now
[Zeitidee: bis jetzt]

Simple memory help:
All of these words describe a time period:
Past ───────────────► now

Typical words are:
ever – never – recently – lately – so far – up to now – until now

They show that we are talking about experiences or developments up to the present moment.
[Sie zeigen, dass wir über Erfahrungen oder Entwicklungen bis zum jetzigen Moment sprechen.]

Score: 0 / 25

1. Have you ______ visited Scotland?
a) ever
b) never
[Warst du jemals in Schottland?]

2. I have ______ eaten Indian food.
a) never
b) ever
[Ich habe noch nie indisches Essen gegessen.]

3. She has been very tired ______.
a) ever
b) lately
[Sie war in letzter Zeit sehr müde.]

4. We have done a lot of work ______.
a) so far
b) recently
[Wir haben bisher viel gearbeitet.]

5. Have they ______ flown in a helicopter?
a) never
b) ever
[Sind sie jemals in einem Hubschrauber geflogen?]

6. He has ______ spoken to the director before.
a) ever
b) never
[Er hat noch nie mit dem Direktor gesprochen.]

7. I have ______ read an interesting article about AI.
a) recently
b) until now
[Ich habe kürzlich einen interessanten Artikel über KI gelesen.]

8. ______, we have answered ten questions.
a) Up to now
b) Never
[Bis jetzt haben wir zehn Fragen beantwortet.]

9. Have you ______ worked with this software?
a) ever
b) lately
[Hast du jemals mit dieser Software gearbeitet?]

10. My parents have ______ been to Canada.
a) never
b) ever
[Meine Eltern waren noch nie in Kanada.]

11. She has looked much happier ______.
a) lately
b) never
[Sie sah in letzter Zeit viel glücklicher aus.]

12. ______, nobody has complained.
a) Recently
b) Until now
[Bis jetzt hat sich niemand beschwert.]

13. Has she ______ tried Japanese tea?
a) ever
b) never
[Hat sie jemals japanischen Tee probiert?]

14. We have ______ had such a busy week before.
a) ever
b) never
[Wir hatten noch nie zuvor so eine arbeitsreiche Woche.]

15. I have ______ started going for long walks again.
a) recently
b) so far
[Ich habe kürzlich wieder angefangen, lange spazieren zu gehen.]

16. ______, the team has won four matches.
a) Ever
b) So far
[Bisher hat das Team vier Spiele gewonnen.]

17. Have your children ______ seen the sea?
a) recently
b) ever
[Haben deine Kinder jemals das Meer gesehen?]

18. He has ______ forgotten my birthday.
a) never
b) ever
[Er hat meinen Geburtstag noch nie vergessen.]

19. They have been arguing a lot ______.
a) ever
b) lately
[Sie haben in letzter Zeit viel gestritten.]

20. ______, I have not had any problems with the new phone.
a) Recently
b) Up to now
[Bis jetzt hatte ich keine Probleme mit dem neuen Handy.]

21. Have you ______ met a famous actor?
a) ever
b) never
[Hast du jemals einen berühmten Schauspieler getroffen?]

22. I have ______ felt so nervous before a presentation.
a) never
b) ever
[Ich war vor einer Präsentation noch nie so nervös.]

23. She has ______ changed jobs.
a) until now
b) recently
[Sie hat kürzlich den Job gewechselt.]

24. ______, we have raised enough money for the project.
a) Until now
b) Never
[Bis jetzt haben wir genug Geld für das Projekt gesammelt.]

25. Have they ______ taken part in a marathon?
a) so far
b) ever
[Haben sie jemals an einem Marathon teilgenommen?]

Score: 0 / 25