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

26. Have you ______ seen a shooting star?
a) ever
b) never
[Hast du jemals eine Sternschnuppe gesehen?]

27. I have ______ forgotten her name.
a) ever
b) never
[Ich habe ihren Namen noch nie vergessen.]

28. He has been much quieter ______.
a) lately
b) ever
[Er war in letzter Zeit viel ruhiger.]

29. We have made good progress ______.
a) recently
b) so far
[Wir haben bisher gute Fortschritte gemacht.]

30. Have they ______ slept in a tent?
a) never
b) ever
[Haben sie jemals in einem Zelt geschlafen?]

31. She has ______ driven on the left before.
a) never
b) ever
[Sie ist noch nie zuvor links gefahren.]

32. I have ______ joined a new gym.
a) until now
b) recently
[Ich habe mich kürzlich in einem neuen Fitnessstudio angemeldet.]

33. ______, nobody has asked any questions.
a) Up to now
b) Recently
[Bis jetzt hat niemand Fragen gestellt.]

34. Have you ______ spoken in front of 500 people?
a) ever
b) lately
[Hast du jemals vor 500 Menschen gesprochen?]

35. My brother has ______ liked coffee.
a) ever
b) never
[Mein Bruder hat Kaffee noch nie gemocht.]

36. She has been under a lot of stress ______.
a) never
b) lately
[Sie stand in letzter Zeit unter viel Stress.]

37. ______, we have completed six chapters.
a) Until now
b) Ever
[Bis jetzt haben wir sechs Kapitel abgeschlossen.]

38. Has he ______ broken a bone?
a) never
b) ever
[Hat er jemals einen Knochen gebrochen?]

39. We have ______ been this busy in December.
a) never
b) ever
[Wir waren im Dezember noch nie so beschäftigt.]

40. I have ______ started learning Italian.
a) recently
b) so far
[Ich habe kürzlich angefangen, Italienisch zu lernen.]

41. ______, the machine has worked perfectly.
a) Never
b) So far
[Bisher hat die Maschine perfekt funktioniert.]

42. Have your parents ______ danced tango?
a) ever
b) recently
[Haben deine Eltern jemals Tango getanzt?]

43. She has ______ forgotten to lock the door.
a) ever
b) never
[Sie hat nie vergessen, die Tür abzuschließen.]

44. They have been eating out a lot ______.
a) lately
b) ever
[Sie sind in letzter Zeit oft essen gegangen.]

45. ______, I have learned a great deal from this course.
a) Recently
b) Up to now
[Bis jetzt habe ich sehr viel aus diesem Kurs gelernt.]

46. Have you ______ ridden a horse on the beach?
a) never
b) ever
[Bist du jemals am Strand geritten?]

47. I have ______ had trouble sleeping before an exam.
a) never
b) ever
[Ich hatte vor einer Prüfung noch nie Schlafprobleme.]

48. He has ______ moved into a larger office.
a) until now
b) recently
[Er ist kürzlich in ein größeres Büro umgezogen.]

49. ______, no one has found a better solution.
a) Until now
b) Ever
[Bis jetzt hat niemand eine bessere Lösung gefunden.]

50. Have they ______ won a national competition?
a) ever
b) so far
[Haben sie jemals einen nationalen Wettbewerb gewonnen?]

Score: 0 / 25