By now

By now
 

Why "by now" instead of "now" in this sentence?:

The shops must be closed by now.

Thanks :)

A slight difference. If you wanted to buy something at 3.00 in the morning, you would say

The shops must be closed now

because that its a time when you would expect them to be closed.

If you were hurrying to get things done and go to the shop on the way home, with the risk that you were going to be late and not get to the shop before it closed, you might say:

It is too late ..the shops must be closed by now. :)

My uneducated guess, because it must to be just a guess, and maybe I will be lucky in my answer. :rolleyes:

I'm with Chileno...

The shops must be closed by now.
Ya para esta hora creo que las tiendas estarán cerradas.

OK, thanks :) :rose:

(though I wouldn't say "para ahora", but "por ahora" or "en estos momentos) :D

Para ahora se referiria a un supositorio, pero por ahora, o por el momento, significa que en este preciso momento esta cerrada, y no hay duda(s) about it. :D

Really you are trying to say here in that phrase ( Por ahora )

Is correct that I write it of the following way?

For now.????:)

Supositorio.........suppository? As in inserted you know where for you know what?:thinking::thinking:

@Elaina: it's a word game with "supuesto" or "suposición". :)

Ah vaya! Creo....:thinking:
:o

:);):D:lol::lol::lol:

A play on words, or a pun. A word game is something like Scrabble.

Oh... thanks for clarification, pjt... I was doubting on how I should say it. :)

I was doubtful how to say it; I wasn't sure how to say it; I had my doubts about how to say it .....:)

No preposition after "doubtful" (!) I didn't know that. Thanks again. :rose:

Is it ok if I said "you are a couple of dubitative people" I do not want to use "dubious people" :D

I cannot find it in the regular dictionary.

I'm not surprised you can't find it, because it doesn't exist :D. Try using 'dodgy' : he's a dodgy character = no es un tipo de fiar :)

Merriam states they have it in their unabridged version of their dictionary...

Do you know that word in Spanish? pjt, Rusty and David?

Maybe is a good one to add to the dictionary?

Me suena. En inglés diría "You're a pair of doubters".

Right. Although dubious could be used to mean the same.