Definition

Adverbial Phrase: - Sooner or later: This phrase indicates that something is certain to happen at some indefinite point in the future, whether in the near or distant term. It emphasizes inevitability rather than specifying a precise time.

Usage Examples

• Adverbial Phrase:
  • Sớm muộn cũng phải về hôm nay. (We have to go home today sooner or later.)
  • Sớm muộn anh ấy sẽ hiểu ra. (Sooner or later, he will understand.)
  • Công ty đó sớm muộn cũng sẽ phá sản. (That company will go bankrupt sooner or later.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase is almost always used with "cũng sẽ" (will also) or "cũng phải" (must also) to reinforce the sense of certainty about the future event.
  • Sớm muộn trời cũng sẽ mưa. (Sooner or later, it will rain.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sớm hay muộn: A less common variant with identical meaning.
  • Sớm hay muộn, chúng ta sẽ gặp lại nhau. (Sooner or later, we will meet again.)

Synonyms

• Eventually: At some later time; in the end.
• In time: After a certain amount of time has passed.
• Ultimately: Finally; in the end.

Related Idioms

• Chẳng sớm thì muộn: An idiomatic expression meaning the same as "sooner or later," often used for emphasis.
  • Chẳng sớm thì muộn, sự thật sẽ lộ ra. (Sooner or later, the truth will come out.)

1. Sooner or later
   • Sớm muộn cũng phải về hôm nay
     To have to go home today sooner or later