How long before can I reach the airport

[tufguy]

I am a bit confused about "How long before". What does it mean?

1) How long before can I reach the airport.

2) How long before you get laid off.

3) How long before I get a loan after pledging my property.

Please check my sentences and please explain to me the meaning?

 

[jutfrank]

You must explain the meaning to us. Then we'll tell you whether the sentences are right.

 

[emsr2d2]

None of them means anything without the correct punctuation mark at the end.

 

[Tarheel]

I don't try to make the sentence fit the words I want to use. (It's the other way around.)

For the first one, try:

How long will it take me to reach the airport?

For the second one, try:

How long have you been laid off?

For the third one, try:

How long will it take for the loan to be approved?

Since they are your sentences, you should already know what they are supposed to mean.

 

[tufguy]

I don't try to make the sentence fit the words I want to use. (It's the other way around.)

For the first one, try:

How long will it take me to reach the airport?

For the second one, try:

How long have you been laid off?

For the third one, try:

How long will it take for the loan to be approved?

Since they are your sentences, you should already know what they are supposed to mean.

But what does "How long before" mean? Like how long before the USA nukes North Korea. Does it mean "How long will it tak the USA to nuke North Korea"?

 

[tedmc]

But what does "How long before" mean? Like how long before the USA nukes North Korea. Does it mean "How long will it tak the USA to nuke North Korea"?

"How long before" is not a proper way to start a sentence. There is no subject.

I think you have not read through your text before posting as there are glaring basic errors.

 

[Tdol]

For the second one, try:

How long have you been laid off

If the dismissal is in the future, Tufguy's question works for me.

 

[tufguy]

If the dismissal is in the future, Tufguy's question works for me.

Sorry, I don't understand. Could you please explain this to me? How can it be used for the future. I mean I used "Have been" in the sentence.

I think I used it incorrectly. I used "Lay off" incorrectly. By "Lay off" I meant dismissal from job. Can it be used as a verb without changing the meaning?

 

[tufguy]

If you found the sentences somewhere and want to know what they mean, then tell us where you found them. Who wrote them? In what context were they uttered?

If you wrote them yourself, then you presumably know what you wanted them to mean. Tell us.

Does it mean "How long will it take before something happens"?

How long before my pizza arrives? Did I get this right?

 

[tufguy]

If you found the sentences somewhere and want to know what they mean, then tell us where you found them. Who wrote them? In what context were they uttered?

If you wrote them yourself, then you presumably know what you wanted them to mean. Tell us.

These are mine.

 

[Tarheel]

If the dismissal is in the future, Tufguy's question works for me.

In that case it would be "How long will it be before you get laid off?" (The next question is "How do you know that?")

 

[Tarheel]

Tufguy, the pattern is;

How long will it be before ABC happens?

It wouldn't change the grammar to make it "How long will it be before XYZ happens"?

 

[Tarheel]

Tarheel: I want hamburger and onion and green peppers on my pizza.
Pizza guy: OK.
Tarheel: How long will it take to get here?
Pizza guy: About 30 minutes.
Tarheel: OK.

 

[tufguy]

Tufguy, the pattern is;

How long will it be before ABC happens?

It wouldn't change the grammar to make it "How long will it be before XYZ happens"?

So "How long before" doesn't work.

 

[Tarheel]

Tufguy, a layoff is not the same as a dismissal. Consider a layoff an unplanned, unpaid vacation. (You expect to be called back at some point.) On the other hand, if you are dismissed from your job they don't want you back.

laid off - furloughed
dismissed - fired; terminated

 

[Tarheel]

So "How long before" doesn't work.

I wouldn't use it. (I'm not saying it's never used--especially in casual speech.)

 

[emsr2d2]

Tufguy, a layoff is not the same as a dismissal. Consider a layoff an unplanned, unpaid vacation. (You expect to be called back at some point.) On the other hand, if you are dismissed from your job they don't want you back.

laid off - furloughed
dismissed - fired; terminated

Being "laid off", in BrE, means pretty much the same as being fired. The difference is that usually the company lays people off in order to save money or because the company is about to go bust.

 

[emsr2d2]

Tarheel: I want hamburger and onion and green peppers on my pizza.
Pizza guy: OK.
Tarheel: How long will it take to get here?
Pizza guy: About 30 minutes.
Tarheel: OK.

Whilst Tarheel's question above is certainly grammatically correct, in BrE you'd also hear "How long will it be?" or "How long before it arrives?"

I can't argue with the statement that "How long before ..." isn't grammatically complete (it's missing "will it be" before "before") but you'll hear it in BrE quite a lot, along with "How long until ...".

How long before we can play doubles again?
How long before lockdown is over?
How long until you get your results?
How long till you're well enough to go jogging again?

 

[Tarheel]

Whilst Tarheel's question above is certainly grammatically correct, in BrE you'd also hear "How long will it be?" or "How long before it arrives?"

I can't argue with the statement that "How long before ..." isn't grammatically complete (it's missing "will it be" before "before") but you'll hear it in BrE quite a lot, along with "How long until ...".

How long before we can play doubles again?
How long before lockdown is over?
How long until you get your results?
How long till you're well enough to go jogging again?

I didn't mean to suggest there was only one possibility.

 

[Tdol]

Sorry, I don't understand. Could you please explain this to me? How can it be used for the future. I mean I used "Have been" in the sentence.

I think I used it incorrectly. I used "Lay off" incorrectly. By "Lay off" I meant dismissal from job. Can it be used as a verb without changing the meaning?

You're still working, but know that you will be laid off at some point. Then, your question works fine.