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Those are correct:

How soon will he arrive?

When will he arrive?

Yesterday I said: In how long will he arrive? -- Is this wrong?

Also, I remember my Indian roommate used to say something like: At what time will he arrive? -- Not nice English, right?

Thank you.

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  • 2
    "How long will he be?" is often used (in this and other contexts), but "In how long will he arrive?" – which might even be seen as being the more logical expression – is never used. "At what time will he arrive?" is used, but is more formal and less usual than "When will he arrive?" Commented Aug 3, 2016 at 18:49
  • There's nothing ungrammatical, illogical, or wrong about your sentence as such. It's just never used, for some reason. Commented Aug 3, 2016 at 20:12

3 Answers 3

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As other have said, "In how long will he arrive" is not used. Here are some alternatives that you might use instead:

How long will he be?
How long until he gets here?
How long until he's here?

At what time will he arrive?
What time will he get here?

When will he get here?
When will he arrive?
When is he set to arrive?

When should we expect him?

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We don't say Ïn how long will he arrive". I think that "At what time will he arrive?" is correct English and is fine.

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Another form that can be used from those suggested by LMS could be this:

In how long a time will he arrive?

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