ago


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a·go

(ə-gō′)
adv. & adj.
1. Gone by; past: two years ago.
2. In the past: It happened ages ago.
[Middle English, past participle of agon, to go away, from Old English āgān : ā-, intensive pref. + gān, to go; see ghē- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ago

(əˈɡəʊ)
adv
in the past: five years ago; long ago.
[C14 ago, from Old English āgān to pass away]
Usage: The use of ago with since (it's ten years ago since he wrote the novel) is redundant and should be avoided: it is ten years since he wrote the novel
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

a•go

(əˈgoʊ)

adj.
1. gone; gone by; past (usu. prec. by a noun): five days ago.
adv.
2. in the past: It happened long ago.
[before 1000; Middle English ago(n), Old English āgān, past participle of āgān to go by, pass =ā- a-3 + gān to go 1]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

ago

You use ago to say how much time has passed since something happened. For example, if it is now Sunday and something happened on Thursday, it happened three days ago.

We met two months ago.
We got married about a year ago.

Be Careful!
You use the past simple, not the present perfect, with ago. For example, you say 'He died four years ago'. Don't say 'He has died four years ago'.

Seven years ago, she gave birth to their daughter, Nelly.
I did it just a moment ago.

You use ago only when you are talking about a period of time measured back from the present. If you are talking about a period measured back from an earlier time, you use the past perfect with before or previously.

The centre had been opened some years before.
The accident had happened nearly two years previously.

Be Careful!
Don't use ago and 'since' together. Don't say, for example, 'It is three years ago since it happened'. You say 'It happened three years ago' or 'It is three years since it happened'.

He died two years ago.
It is two weeks since I wrote to him.
See since

Be Careful!
Don't say, for example, 'It has been happening since three years ago'. You say 'It has been happening for three years'.

I have lived here for nearly twenty years.
I have known you for a long time.
See for
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj. 1. [画像:ago - gone by]ago - gone by; or in the past; "two years ago"; "`agone' is an archaic word for `ago'"
past - earlier than the present time; no longer current; "time past"; "his youth is past"; "this past Thursday"; "the past year"
Adv. 1. [画像:ago - in the past]ago - in the past; "long ago"; "sixty years ago my grandfather came to the U.S."
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

ago

adverb previously, back, before, since, earlier, formerly He was killed a few days ago in an accident.
Usage: Although since can be used as a synonym of ago in certain contexts, the use of ago and since together, as in it's ten years ago since he wrote that novel, is redundant. Instead, it would be correct to use it is ten years since he wrote that novel, or it is ten years ago that he wrote that novel.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
مَاضِ، فِي المَاضِي، مُنْذ زَمَنمُنْذُ
преди
před
for ... sidensiden
قبل
sitten
prije
elõtt: elõttezelőtt
fyrir
・・・前に
전에
pirmssen
pred
pred
för....sedan
ที่ผ่านมาแล้ว
давнотому
cách đây

ago

[əˈgəʊ] ADV long ago → hace mucho tiempo
not long ago → no hace mucho (tiempo)
how long ago was it? → ¿hace cuánto tiempo?, ¿cuánto tiempo hace?
as long ago as 1978 → ya en 1978
no longer ago than yesterday → ayer solamente, ayer nada más
a week ago → hace una semana
a little while ago → hace poco
just a moment ago → hace un momento nada más
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

ago

[əˈgəʊ] adv
2 days ago → il y a 2 jours
2 years ago → il y a 2 ans
long ago, a long time ago → il y a longtemps
It wasn't long ago → C'était il y a peu de temps.
not long ago → il n'y a pas longtemps, il y a peu de temps
how long ago? → il y a combien de temps (de cela)?
How long ago was it that you first went there?
BUT Quand y es-tu allé pour la première fois?.
How long ago did it happen? → Il y a combien de temps que c'est arrivé?
as long ago as 1960 → déjà en 1960
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

ago

adv → vor; years/a week ago → vor Jahren/einer Woche ; a little while ago → vor kurzem ; that was years/a week ago → das ist schon Jahre/eine Woche her; he was here a minute ago → er war noch vor einer Minute hier ; how long ago is it since you last saw him? → wie lange haben Sie ihn schon nicht mehr gesehen?, wann haben Sie ihn das letzte Mal gesehen?; how long ago did it happen? → wie lange ist das her?; he left 10 minutes ago → er ist vor 10 Minuten gegangen ; long, long ago → vor langer, langer Zeit; how long ago? → wie lange ist das her?; that was a long time or long ago → das ist schon lange her ; as long ago as 1950 → schon 1950
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

ago

[əˈgəʊ] adv a week ago → una settimana fa
long ago → molto tempo fa
not long ago → poco tempo fa
as long ago as 1960 → già nel 1960
how long ago? → quanto tempo fa?
how long ago was it? → quanto tempo fa è successo?, da quanto tempo è successo?
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

ago

(əˈgəu) adverb
at a certain time in the past. two years ago; Long ago, men lived in caves; How long ago did he leave? gelede مَاضِ، فِي المَاضِي، مُنْذ زَمَن пред há (tempo) před (o čase) vor for ... siden πριν hace tagasi پیش؛ قبل sitten il y a לפני पहले बीता हुआ prošao (bizonyos idő) előtt berselang, yang lalu fyrir (löngu/skömmu) fa 以前に ...전에 prieš pirms; sen dahulu geleden for ... siden temu مخکی ، وړاندی há în urmă (cu) тому назад pred (časovo) pred pre för ... sedan เมื่อก่อน; ที่ผ่านมาแล้ว önce 以前 тому کی مدت بعد trước đây 以前
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

ago

→ مُنْذُ před siden vor πριν από hace sitten il y a prije fa ・・・前に 전에 geleden siden (jakiś czas) temu atrás давно för....sedan ที่ผ่านมาแล้ว önce cách đây 以前
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

ago

adv. atrás; [with time] hace;
ten years ___ → [hace + length of time] hace diez años.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

ago

adj & adv two weeks ago..hace dos semanas
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in classic literature ?
Whether we speak of the migration of the peoples and the incursions of the barbarians, or of the decrees of Napoleon III, or of someone's action an hour ago in choosing one direction out of several for his walk, we are unconscious of any contradiction.
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It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden lived whom you may know By the name of ANNABEL LEE; - And this maiden she lived with no other thought Than to love and be loved by me.
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A few years ago, while visiting or, rather, rummaging about Notre-Dame, the author of this book found, in an obscure nook of one of the towers, the following word, engraved by hand upon the wall:--
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Had they left their comrade and pushed on forthwith, there was nothing at that time between them and London but batteries of twelve-pounder guns, and they would certainly have reached the capital in advance of the tidings of their approach; as sudden, dreadful, and destructive their advent would have been as the earthquake that destroyed Lisbon a century ago.
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Now the people who lived in the British Isles long ago were not English.
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It's an appointment made twenty years ago. Sounds a little funny to you, doesn't it?
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So here I be jest as I was more 'n six year ago. Will you be a real lady passenger, or will ye sit up in front with me?"
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By the way, do you remember, Rodion Romanovitch, how a few years ago, in those days of beneficent publicity, a nobleman, I've forgotten his name, was put to shame everywhere, in all the papers, for having thrashed a German woman in the railway train.
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ONCE upon a time, many years ago when our grandfathers were little children--there was a doctor; and his name was Dolittle-- John Dolittle, M.D.
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On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago, all thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war.
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He who, a hundred years ago, more or less, pronounced the above words in the uneasiness of his heart, thirsting for professional distinction, was a young naval officer.
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