until we finish

USAGE SUMMARY

"until we finish" is correct and usable in written English.
You might use it to indicate that something should continue until some other activity is completed. For example: "Let's keep practicing until we finish this lesson."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

32 human-written examples

So we will wait until we finish our plan".

The New York Times

"I'm here until we finish," Dr. Pandey said.

The New York Times

"Wait until we finish this game," Old Zhang said.

The New Yorker

"We are delaying this campaign until we finish this database".

The New York Times

"They make us stay until we finish all the work they assigned us".

The New York Times

We will continue staying in the Square of Shihab al-Din until we finish the building.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

27 human-written examples

"I don't know that we were worthy of respect until we finished so strong," Bennett said.

The New York Times - Sports

Another actor gagged, "but was polite enough not to spit up anything until we finished the take, although it would have been nice to have filmed it".

The New York Times - Magazine

When he returned about an hour later, it was with the news that immigration was holding on to five of my friends' passports until we finished the trip and returned to Kawthaung.

The New York Times - Travel

Samuel Himmelstein, the lawyer for eight of the tenants, said Mr. Croman offered his clients $50,000 each to vacate, "but we said we didn't want to respond until we finished discovery".

The New York Times

They all asked us to continue this discussion at the table and not to stand up from it until we finished what we came here to do – which is essentially make a peace agreement.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "until we finish" to clearly state the condition for continuing an action or process. For example, "We will keep revising the report until we finish all sections".

Common error

Avoid using "until we finish" when a more specific verb would be appropriate. For instance, instead of "until we finish the software", consider "until we debug the software" for greater clarity.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "until we finish" functions as an adverbial clause of time, modifying the main clause by specifying when the action in the main clause will occur. Ludwig's examples showcase this use in various contexts.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

72%

Science

16%

Formal & Business

12%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "until we finish" is a grammatically sound and frequently employed temporal phrase that establishes a condition based on the completion of an activity. As Ludwig AI confirms, it is correct and versatile. Predominantly found in news and media contexts, its neutral tone renders it suitable for diverse applications. To maximize clarity, replace it with specific verbs when possible and use it as a tool to clearly set temporal expectations. It has several alternative phrases, such as "once we're done" and "not before we complete".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

once we're done

Emphasizes completion and a transition to a new state.

not before we complete

Highlights the necessity of completing something first.

only after finishing

Stresses the sequence of events and the condition of completion.

upon our completion

Formal way of indicating something will happen at the time of completion.

pending completion

Indicates a state of waiting for something to be done.

until the task is complete

Focuses specifically on the completion of a task.

before wrapping up

Suggests a concluding action or event.

prior to ending

Emphasizes the timing relative to the end of something.

not until finalized

Emphasizes the need for something to be officially concluded.

till we're through

Informal and colloquial way to say until something is finished.

FAQs

How can I use "until we finish" in a sentence?

You can use "until we finish" to indicate that an action will continue up to the point when a task or process is completed. For instance, "Let's not make any decisions "until we finish" gathering all the data".

What's a more formal alternative to "until we finish"?

A more formal alternative would be "upon completion". For example, instead of saying ""until we finish" the project", you could say "upon completion of the project".

Can I use "'til we finish" instead of "until we finish"?

Yes, "'til we finish" is a shortened, more informal version of ""until we finish"". It's suitable for casual conversation but less appropriate for formal writing.

What phrases are similar in meaning to ""until we finish""?

Phrases like "once we're done", "not before we complete", or "only after finishing" share a similar meaning, all indicating that something will occur after the completion of a specific action or task.