at this point, at the moment, and at this juncture

[Sweetpumpkin]

Hi,

I have a question on the meanings of those prepositional phrases.

At this point, we can't afford to hire more staff.

In the sentence above, "at this point" can be replaced with "at this juncture", right?
How about "at the moment"? Does it have the same meaning as "at this point"? If not, how so? Please tell me.

Thank you in advance,
sweetpumpkin

[HamburgEnglish]

Hi Sweety (smile)

At this point means "a point in time, a time relative position in an activity ...etc"
At this juncture means "at this point where two entities join or part or change ...etc"
At the moment means "now or nowadays"

I hope this helps...

Rob
www.onlineenglish.eu

[Jamie (K)]

"At this point" means "at this moment" or "at this specific time".

"At this juncture" is used when people are standing before a changing situation, or when some choice has to be made. Think of someone standing at the place where a road branches into two directions.

"At the moment" means "right now". It seldom means "nowadays", because "nowadays" describes too long a time, while "at this point" describes a specific time. You can usually use "at the moment" to replace "at this point".

[Sweetpumpkin]

Thank both of you for your attention.

So, Jamie, am I right on your intention to say?

==========================
At this point, we can't afford to hire more staff.
= At the moment, we can't ~.

And, "at this point" is closer in the meaning to "at the moment" than "at this juncture" in this sentence.
==========================
If I get your intention wrong, please let me know.

Actually, I thought "at this point" and "at this juncture" are used in situations while "at the moment" is used for a specific time.

[Jamie (K)]

"At this point" means at this specific time. "At the moment" means the same thing, but I picture the time as being slightly longer.

"At this point, we can't afford to hire more staff."
= "At the moment, we can't afford to hire more staff."

That's correct.

"At this juncture" means almost the same thing, but it implies a time when there is a choice to be made.

So, yes, in the sentence you gave, "at the moment" is closer to "at this point" than "at this juncture.