He (has) worked there as a teacher until now / so far.

Question

1. He has worked there as a teacher so far.2. He has worked there as a teacher until now.3. He worked there as a teacher until now.I have learned that so far and until now have a different meaning although to my ears, they sound the same. Do you agree with the difference? And then is there a meaning difference between the #2 and the #3? I think that sometimes past tense is used interchangeably with present perfect tense, so the # 2 and # 3 have the same meaning. What do you native English speakers think?Thank you so much as usual in advance.

Ivanhr · Accepted Answer

Hans51I have learned that so far and until now have a different meaning although to my ears, they sound the same

They mean the same thing but "so far" indicates that something will (may) continue to happen in the future while "until now" does not. In fact, "until now" suggests that something has just stopped ( happenning) . Thus, #1 is different from #2 . #2 and #3 mean the same though #3 is possible only in AmE, I think.

You should also understand that #1 implies that he might continue to work there in a different capacity (e.g., as a principle).
Consider this example,
I've worked there as a programmer and tester so far. (this might suggest that he will assume a new position there in the future)

If you just want to expres the idea that he has worked there up to the present time then you can use "to date".

He (has) worked there as a teacher until now / so far.

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