Learn English – Ways to ask about the time remaining before something is ready

sentence-choice

My friend is cooking food. I asked her if it's already ready and she said that it's not ready yet. Now I want to know how much time we have to wait until it'll be ready. What are the common ways to ask it?

Assuming my suggestions below are correct, are there more common choices?

1) How long it's going to take until it'll be ready?

2) How much time remain / left until it'll be ready?

Best Answer

In the comments, @FumbleFingers highlighted some changes needed to your examples.

  • ❌ No: 1. How long {it's} going to take until {it'll} be ready?
  • ✔️ Yes: 1. How long is it going to take until it is ready?

Note that it's -- "it is" -- needs to be inverted to "is it", because it's a question (see more at this article).

  • ❌ No: 2. How much time remain / left until it'll be ready?
  • ✔️ Yes: 2. How much time is left until it is ready?
  • ✔️ Yes: 2. How much time remains until it is ready?

More suggestions

You could replace "it" with the food, lunch, or dinner.

  • ✔️ Yes: 3. How long before the food is ready?

  • ✔️ Yes: 4. When can we eat?

To this they may say something like "in 15 minutes". This seems very informal to me.

  • ✔️ Yes: 5. When will the food be ready?

Again, seems very very informal.

  • ✔️ Yes: 6. I am starving. How much longer?

  • ✔️ Yes: 7. How long before we can eat?

  • 😕 Awkward: 8. How long before we can dine?

Eat is fine. Notice that the verb "dine" isn't used this way in conversational English.

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