cho đến khi
Until
Cho đến khi means 'until' or 'up to the time when'. It emphasizes that an action continues without stopping until a specific event happens.
How It Works
1. Structure and Usage
The pattern is used to show the unbroken continuation of a state or action right up to a specific event:
- Action + cho đến khi + Event/Clause
2. Synonyms and Spoken Variations
The phrases cho tới khi and cho đến lúc are common synonyms for cho đến khi, though they carry slight regional and register nuances. Cho đến khi is standard and widely used in Northern Vietnamese, while cho tới khi is slightly more casual and heavily favored in Southern Vietnamese. In casual everyday speech across regions, native speakers frequently drop the cho and simply say đến khi or tới khi.
3. Fixed Phrases
When talking about the present moment, you will frequently encounter the fixed phrases cho đến nay and cho đến bây giờ, both meaning 'until now' or 'up to the present'.
4. Important Distinctions
Learners often confuse this temporal limit with a limit of degree. If you want to say 'to the point that' (e.g., 'tired to the point of fainting'), you must use đến mức instead.
Furthermore, English uses 'until' for both clauses ('until you arrive') and nouns ('until Friday'). Vietnamese strictly separates these. If you are pointing to a specific time noun, you must drop the khi and just use cho đến.
Examples (4)
- Tôi sẽ đợi cho đến khi bạn quay lại.
I will wait until you come back.
Word by Word: I will wait until you turn back.
Followed by a full clause ('bạn quay lại') to mark the endpoint of the waiting.
- Chúng tôi làm việc cho đến khi trời tối.
We worked until it got dark.
Word by Word: We do work until sky dark.
Shows an unbroken action (working) leading up to a specific event (the sky getting dark).
- Hãy ở đây cho đến khi tôi gọi bạn.
Stay here until I call you.
Word by Word: Please stay here until I call you.
Used in an imperative sentence to set a temporal limit on the requested action.
- Anh ấy đọc sách cho đến khi buồn ngủ.
He read books until he got sleepy.
Word by Word: He read book until sad sleep.
Followed by a verb phrase ('buồn ngủ') rather than a full clause with a subject.
Common Mistakes
Using 'cho đến khi' with a specific time noun.
Tôi làm việc cho đến khi 5 giờ.Tôi làm việc cho đến 5 giờ.Because 'khi' means 'when', it must be followed by an event or clause. For specific time points or nouns (like '5 giờ' or 'hôm nay'), you must drop 'khi' and simply use 'cho đến'.
Using 'không' instead of 'mới' in the 'mãi ... mới ...' pattern.
Mãi đến khi anh ấy nói, tôi không biết.Mãi đến khi anh ấy nói, tôi mới biết.For 'not... until', you can keep a negative verb with 'cho đến khi' ('Tôi không biết cho đến khi anh ấy nói'). Or you can use mãi ... mới ... (only then, after a wait). That pattern needs 'mới' before the verb and no 'không'.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The pattern 'cho đến khi' is a compound construction. To understand it, you need to know how 'cho' (for/to) and 'đến' (to/until) function as markers of direction and limits, and how 'khi' is used to define a moment in time or a specific event.
- choTo Give / for
The word 'cho' is used here to indicate the direction or purpose of the action leading up to the time limit.
Level 1 - từ ... đến ...From ... to ...
The word 'đến' (to/until) is a core component of this pattern, establishing the endpoint of the duration.
Level 2 - khiWhen
The word 'khi' (when) is used to turn the following clause or event into a specific point in time.
Level 2
Related Patterns
- mãi ... mới ...Not Until Finally
The natural Vietnamese equivalent for English 'not... until' sentences, which is often used instead of 'không ... cho đến khi'.
Level 4 - đến mứcTo the Point That
Both use 'đến' to show a limit, but 'đến mức' shows the degree or extent of a result, while 'cho đến khi' is strictly for time.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice cho đến khi in Bubblegum
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