How much longer will I vs How much longer do I

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi there,

What is the difference between the following sentences:

  • How much longer will I have to wait? an
  • How much longer do I have to wait?

@Anglophile, @Arinker, @Alan, @Torsten.

Thanks in advance.

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2

I think the first sentence refers to a more abstract event in the distant future like “How long wilol I have to wait until I finally meet the man of my life?” while the second sentence describes a more concrete event like “How long do I have to wait until you serve me my dinner?”

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Thank you very much Torsten.

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4

To me, the situation implies as follows:

  1. In both the cases you have already waited.
  2. The use of ‘will have to’ refers to the future indefinitely.
  3. The use of ‘do have to’ refers to the present that is likely to continue, but not indefinitely.
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5

Torsten and Anglophile both made good points.

The differences are subtle. In practice any of the following will have the same meaning.

How much longer will I have to wait?
How much longer do I have to wait?
How long will I have to wait?
How long do I have to wait?

For example you could answer “One hour” to any of them. So the end result is the same. In my opinion ‘do’ seems like the asker is impatient.

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6

The first question - ‘will I have to wait’ is asking for a date/time in the future when a certain period of time is completed. For example you want to know how long it takes for you to be told the date of your next medical appointment.
The second question - ‘do I have to’ is asking what the average waiting time is. For example you are asking how long it takes for you to learn the result of a particular test.

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7

Thank you Alan, but can ‘do I have to’ also be used when you go to restaurant, you have ordered and you have to wait a long time before the waiter brings you what you’ve ordered. Can you say then, ‘How much longer do I have to wait?’ You see, I’m quite impatient, however I always remain polite.

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8

That does sound a little brusque put like that. Perhaps - How’s my order coming along?

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9

Both are fine. “How much longer will I have to wait” could mean starting in the future. “How much longer do I have to wait” might be answered with, “well it’s up to you if you want to keep waiting.” Often we would say “how long does it take” or “how long will it take” or “how long will it be” or “When can I expect”. We often add various words to soften the question. For example: About how long will it be until we see the doctor? Will it be very long until we see the doctor? About how long does it take to get the tax return? When can we expect to receive it? How long does it take to get there? How long does the line usually take? Etc. But “How much longer will they be waiting out in the cold? If it’s going to be much longer they should probably come back another day.” Just some examples. I hope they help.

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10

We might say, “I just wanted to check on our order. Is it about ready?” Etc. Because sometimes an order might accidentally get skipped or misplaced, etc.

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11

In case you haven’t noticed, I asked that question twelve months ago. It’s very nice of you that you want to contribulte to that and I’ll bear it in mind, but I like Alan’s posts better, even though he sadly passed away and is unfortunately no longer among us. By the way, I’ve learnt a lot on this forum from other people that I’ve respected ever since they joined it and I will keep on doing so. That’s why I think it’s a little late to become an engcademic, as it were. Don’t you? Also, your answer is almost the same as that of NN. I’m sorry, but that’s how I feel.

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12

Hi,

I think I was a bit harsh on you. You’re explanations are very good, but then again, you’re American. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.

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