I'll be back at the apartment as fast/quickly as I can.

[joham]

In this sentence 'I'll be back at the apartment as fast/quickly as I can' do both adverbs work as well and of the same meaning? (I read this sentence, in which the adverb fast is used, in THE STREET LAWYER in THE PENGUIN BOOKS. )

 

[Peedeebee]

I think in BrE these two are almost interchangeable. A third choice would be "as soon as I can".
To be really pedantic, "fast" may indicate the speed I will travel to the apartment. "Soon" could indicate that I will set off immediately, without delay, even though the travel may be slow. "Quickly" may be closer in meaning to "soon".
But I still think they are all used to mean almost exactly the same things.

 

[Skrej]

There's no practical difference between the choices in AmE either.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Because of the word "back", I don't think that "fast" can refer to travel speed. It refers to the lapse of time.

 

[tedmc]

If you are talking about a short lapse of time, wouldnt "quickly" be better?

 

[MikeNewYork]

Not necessarily.

 

[joham]

Many many thanks to all of you for throwing light on the use of fast and quickly in this context. Thank you very much!

 

[Tdol]

In colloquial usage, you could also hear as quick as I can used.

 

[joham]

In colloquial usage, you could also hear as quick as I can used.

Thank you very much, dear editor.