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# when

«when» in Mova's school dictionary: **When asks at what time something happens: «When is lunch?»** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

conjunction, adverb; pronoun

### meaning for a pupil

1) When asks at what time something happens: «When is lunch?». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/when/#m1)

2) When tells the time or the case in which something happens: «When it rains, we stay in». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/when/#m2)

3) When can mean «as soon as»: «Call me when you get home». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/when/#m3)

4) When can mean «although» or «since»: «Why walk when you can ride?» [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/when/#m4)

5) (casual) «Say when» means tell me when to stop pouring; «since when?» shows surprise or doubt. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/when/#m5)

6) (formal) Exams say «at which time», «upon», «in the event that», «whereupon» and «at what point». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/when/#m6)

### sense in the lessons

stating a rule or a moment in the story; in maths «when» often begins a rule: «When we put two groups together, we add»; «When does it end» asks for a time; phrases: «since when», «when I was little», «say when», «when it comes to»; in casual talk «when's the bus?», «say when», «since when do you like maths?»; in rough talk «when I get my hands on you…» (an angry threat), «when are you gonna shut up?»; in the exam voice «in the event that», «upon receipt», «at what point in time»

### examples

- When we put two groups together, we add. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/when/#x1)
- When Tom came home, he had 3 cards left. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/when/#x2)
- When does the film end? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/when/#x3)
- When water freezes, it turns into ice. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/when/#x4)
- Call Mum when you get to school. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/when/#x5)
- When is your birthday? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/when/#x6)
- Wash your hands when you come in from outside. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/when/#x7)
- when's the bus, 8:40? its 8:25 now [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/when/#x8)
- Say when… stop, that's 3 spoonfuls! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/when/#x9)
- When I get my hands on whoever took my last 2 biscuits… [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/when/#x10)
- Upon the subsequent arrival of 5 passengers, ascertain the total number on board. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/when/#x11)
- Why walk when you can take the bus? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/when/#x12)
- But when was that to be? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/when/#x13)

### note

Introduces a rule or a time; carries no operation clue. «When does it end» asks for a time. «upon» and «in the event that» in an exam mean when. Trap: «when» asks about time, «where» about place. «when I get my hands on you» is an angry threat, not a time.

### In the corpora

- [When a parent seems frazzled after work, it is usually the workload, not anything the child did.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/1-a-day-at-a-grown-ups-job/18/)
- [At the other end of working life comes retirement, when people stop paid work for good.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/3-finding-a-job-and-getting-on/4/)
- [Living in a home costs money every single month, even when nobody buys anything new.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/6-paying-for-a-home-and-the-bills/0/)
- [Rent is often a family's biggest bill, so when it goes up, other spending has to shrink.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/6-paying-for-a-home-and-the-bills/9/)
- [It moves as numbers when a card is tapped, a bill goes out or pay comes in.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/7-cards-banks-and-apps/1/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «when» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/when/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.