just now
In South African English, “just now” means in a little while, later, at some point. Elsewhere it means a moment ago, which is why it confuses so many visitors.
What just now means
In most of the English-speaking world, “I saw her just now” means a minute ago. In South Africa, “I’ll do it just now” means I’ll do it soon, later today, or possibly whenever I get around to it. Wiktionary lists this “in a little while” sense for South Africa, Scotland and the Caribbean.
It sits between “now” and “now now” in the unofficial South African scale of urgency, and it’s the one people tease each other about most.
Examples
- “I’ll wash the dishes just now.”
- “He said he’d call just now. That was two hours ago.”
- “Just now, I’m still busy with something.”
Where it came from
Dictionary.com dates the standard senses of just now, “exactly at this time” and “a moment ago,” to the 1600s. Wiktionary lists the “in a little while” sense as regional. Context, and a bit of patience, sorts out which one is meant.
Related terms
- Now now: very soon.
- Eish: the reaction when “just now” turns into tomorrow.
- BRB: be right back.
- Howzit: hello.
More South African words are in our South African slang guide.
Example sentence
Don’t worry, I’ll sort it out just now.
Similar words
later, in a while
Notes
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