Vocabulary Bank

softening a round number — being honest about the duration

acknowledging something is not yet done as it should be

reporting a very recent, small piece of progress

'I've already done it' — sooner than expected

for six years, for ten minutes, for ages

for a very long time (informal) — 'I've known her for ages.'

polite catch-up question — expects a present perfect answer

I've wanted to do it for a while but haven't — mild guilt

a compact grammar move that reveals a lot of information

'I haven't seen you for ages' — friendly greeting after a long gap

'I've just finished' — very recent past

belongs to a related family of words with a similar job

very informal — 'we haven't met in a long time'

focus on the duration — how long something has lasted

'I haven't started yet' — up to now, no

nothing important is new — a common present perfect answer

informal — 'nothing new, my life is the same'

since 2019, since Monday, since I was a child

starting point in early life — 'I've played piano since I was a child.'

starting point = the last time we talked

'I still haven't heard' — annoyed / disappointed continuation

the one you notice least, but it carries emotion

everything until this moment — 'Up to now, I haven't heard back.'