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The word "When" it means "when" in English, and can be used both in questions and to refer to a certain period of time or when an event occurs. It can refer to the past as well as the present or the future.
Question "wh"
In English there are a series of adverbs that begin with the letters wh: que, which, where, quien, whom, whose Y when. All these adverbs in English, when used to ask questions, form Open questions, that is, they cannot be answered with only "yes" or "no".
The questions "wh”(And therefore questions with when) have a nucleus, which is the verb that is located immediately after the adverb. This verb is conjugated according to time and person.
When and While
Since the translation of while it can also be "when", May exist confusions between when and while. There is a radical difference between both expressions: while refers to an action that is sustained over a period of time, while when refers to specific actions.
However, when can also be used to refer to long periods of time (for example, "when I was a child" or "when I lived in the city"). Therefore, it is easier to distinguish whether to use when or while, because while can be translated as"While".
See also: Examples of Wh Questions (Wh Questions)
Examples of affirmative sentences with when
Present:
- When I get home I always turn on the television. (When I get home I always turn on the TV.)
- When the dog barks the baby gets scared. (When the dog barks, the baby gets scared.)
- I only play videogames when my mother isn’t home. (I only play video games when my mother is not at home.)
- You always call me when I’m at work. (You always call me when I'm at work.)
Past:
- When I arrived at the supermarket, it was closed. (When I got to the supermarket, it was closed.)
- When he started driving he made a lot of mistakes. (When he started driving, he made a lot of mistakes.)
- When you were a child, you loved to play. (When you were a kid you loved to play.)
Future:
- When I see him again, I will pay him. (When I see him again, I'll pay him.)
- I will pick you up when you leave the office. (I'll pick you up when you leave the office.)
Examples of when questions
Present:
- When do you go to the gym? (When do you go to the gym?)
- When do you see your cousins? (When do you see your cousins?)
- When do they study? (When they study?)
- When does she wake up? (When he wake up?)
- When does he finish school? (When does school end?)
- When does it end? (When does it end?)
Past:
- When did you get here? (When you came?)
- When did she break her leg? (When did you break your leg?)
- When was he born? (When was born?)
Future:
- When will you buy a new car? (When are you going to buy a new car?)
- When will she come back? (When will you return?)
They can serve you:
- Examples with Where
- Examples with Whereas
- Examples with When
- Examples with Who
- Examples with Whose
- Examples with Which
Andrea is a language teacher, and on her Instagram account she offers private lessons by video call so that you can learn to speak English.
