(up) until now and so far

Question

Hi. I wish you would help me with this. This is what I don't understand/am puzzled by: I could very well be mistaken but I get the impression that with the phrase "(up) until now" we can use many verb forms like present perfect, past perfect and past, while with the phrase "so far" it seems only (mostly?) present perfect tense seems to avail (in sentences).

It seems to me (I could be mistaken), when the phrase "(up) until now" encompasses the meaning of up to this moment in the present and I think in that context, I think it means almost the same as the phrase "so far."

Avangi · Accepted Answer

There's something to what you say, although I don't believe it's a hard and fast rule.
But it is a little strange.
They both work in the present continuous:
Are you able to pay your bills since you lost your job? (reply) Up until now, I'm holding my own.
So far, I'm holding my own.
I'd say they both also work in simple present, to describe hatibuation. So far, I hold my own.

There's more ambiguity with "up until now" as to whether or not the situation is/has terminated. It seems to allow context to make that determination.
Up until now I thought I was holding my own. Why do you ask?

We often argue about the point in time where the perfect tenses end, but the word "now" solves that problem in this case. If I had been doing it until now, I appear to have the option to continue.

We'd be much less likely to say, "So far, I was holding my own."
If we did say it, we'd probably mean that at this at this moment we are not. A "but" would be expected to follow.

(up) until now and so far

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