Sooner or later

'Sooner or later' means that something will definitely happen, even if the exact timing is uncertain.

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Sooner or later

“Sooner or later” is an expression we use when something is bound to happen , something will definitely happen, but we just don’t know exactly when. When you use “sooner or later,” you’re saying that at some point in the future, an event will take place , something will happen, even if the timing is uncertain .

There are two slightly different ways to use “sooner or later.” The first means, “an event will take place in the future and we don’t know when.” The second way means, “something is going to happen gradually and we don’t know when the process will be complete.”

Inevitability

So let’s start with the first definition. Something is inevitable ; it will definitely happen, even if we can’t say when. When you say “sooner or later,” you highlight the fact that something is unavoidable . It will happen.

How long do you keep a phone for? I had an iPhone 8 for more than four years. And toward the end , the battery life was pathetic . The charging port didn’t fully work. It was slow. And I knew, sooner or later, I would have to replace that phone. I didn’t know when exactly, but I knew it had to happen. So I said to myself, “Sooner or later, I’ll have to replace this phone.”

So notice the pattern: you say “sooner or later” and then you say the event that will happen or that has to happen.

Have you ever put off a difficult conversation ? You have a conflict with someone or you have to give someone bad news. It’s so easy to put those conversations off; it’s so easy to delay them . So someone might say to you: “Sooner or later, you’re going to have to have that conversation.”

In this case, the person is telling you, the conversation is inevitable. You will have to have it. Maybe tomorrow or the next day, or next week, or two weeks from now, or a month later, or six months later: we don’t know. But you will have to have that conversation sooner or later. It will happen; we just don’t know the exact date and time.

It’s very common to use “sooner or later” when a person has to do something unpleasant : have a difficult conversation; replace an expensive device. But not always: you can use it when you think something positive or neutral is going to happen. A sports team might be in a slump ; they might have lost a few games in a row . You might say, “We’re going to win sooner or later.” That means, “we’ll get a win; we just don’t know exactly when that will be.”

And if you were listening closely, you noticed that you can put “sooner or later” before or after the action. Sooner or later, we’ll win a game. Or, we’ll win a game sooner or later.

So that’s an event when the specific time is unknown .

Gradual or eventual process

“Sooner or later” can also be used to describe something that happens—that is happening— gradually over time . The only thing that’s unknown is when it will finish.

For example, think of someone working on a long-term project. Imagine that person is me. I am working on updating a lot of our video lessons in Plain English with quizzes and exercises. And with those activities, the video lessons are becoming true workshops. But it’s taking a while. There are a lot of these video workshops and it’s not easy to add these exercises and quizzes. But sooner or later, I will finish this project.

So you see, this is something gradual; it’s developing ; it’s happening now. But it’s not clear when the end will come.

How about an example with you? I might say to you, “Sooner or later, you’ll start speaking English fluently .” You’re already learning . You’re already taking important steps . You’re in the process. You’re heading toward that goal . I think you’ll get there. I don’t know when you’ll get there, but I think you will! Sooner or later, you’ll start speaking English fluently.

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Story: Lesson