nhẫn nay
Definition
- Adverb (of time):
- Until now / Up to now / So far: Indicates a period of time continuing from a point in the past to the present moment. It is used to describe a situation, action, or state that has persisted or remained true from a past time until the current time.
Usage Examples
- Adverb:
- Nhẫn nay, tôi vẫn chưa nhận được thư trả lời. (Until now, I still have not received a reply letter.)
- Công việc nhẫn nay vẫn tiến triển tốt. (The work has been progressing well so far.)
- Nhẫn nay, đây vẫn là bí ẩn lớn nhất. (Up to now, this remains the greatest mystery.)
Advanced Usage
- "Từ trước nhẫn nay": A more formal or emphatic phrase meaning "from before until now" or "traditionally."
- Từ trước nhẫn nay, người dân nơi đây vẫn sống bằng nghề chài lưới. (From time immemorial until now, the people here have lived by fishing.)
Variants and Related Words
- Đến nay (adv): Until now, up to now. (A more common synonym in modern Vietnamese.)
- Tới giờ (adv): Up to this hour, until now. (A more colloquial synonym.)
- Cho tới bây giờ (adv phrase): Up until now.
Synonyms
- Hitherto: (Formal) Until now or until the point in time under discussion.
- Thus far: Up to this point; so far.
- To date: Until the present time.
Notes on Usage
- Formality: "Nhẫn nay" is considered a more literary or formal term. In everyday spoken Vietnamese, "đến nay" or "tới giờ" are more frequently used.
- Position: It typically appears at the beginning of a clause or sentence to frame the temporal scope of the statement.
- Tense: It is often used with the present perfect tense or present tense in English translations to emphasize the continuity of the situation up to the present.