Japanese by Example
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Until an action occurs with 〜まで

A verb followed by まで expresses the condition of “until the action occurs”. The verb preceding まで is in its plain/dictionary form.

If the sentence is negative, the verb before まで must be completed before the following verb may occur. If the sentence is not negative, the verb before まで was completed before the following verb occurred.

Examples

ご注文はうさぎですか? » Volume 1 » Page 8

Supplemental examples

ご注文はうさぎですか? » Volume 1 » Page 8

Further Reading

  • Kamiya, Taeko. "Actions: in Progress, Completed, Successive, Simultaneous, and Miscellaneous." Japanese Sentence Patterns for Effective Communication, Kodansha, 2005, p. 131