when

(hwĕn, wĕn)
adv.
At what time: When will we leave?

conj.

1. At the time that: in the spring, when the snow melts.
2. As soon as: I'll call you when I get there.
3. Whenever: When the wind blows, all the doors rattle.
4. During the time at which; while: when I was young, I was sick all the time.
5. Whereas; although: She stopped short when she ought to have continued.
6. Considering that; if: How can he get good grades when he won't study?

pron.
What or which time: Since when has this been going on?

n.
The time or date: Have they decided the where and when?

[Middle English, from Old English hwenne.]

USAGE NOTE   In informal style when is often used after forms of be in definitions: A dilemma is when you don't know which way to turn. Although useful, this construction is widely regarded as incorrect or unsuitable for formal discourse. In formal style such definitions should be recast to eliminate is when, either by supplying generic term that may be modified by a restrictive adjective clause (A dilemma is a situation in which you don't know which way to turn) or by making the when-clause adverbial (You are in a dilemma when you don't know which way to turn).

Idioms beginning with when:
when the going gets tough, the tough get going
when the shit hits the fan
when all's said and done
when in Rome do as the Romans do
when it comes to
when least expected
when one's back is turned
when one's ship comes in
when pigs fly
when the cat's away, the mice will play
when the chips are down
when the dust has settled

See also cross a bridge when one comes to it; push comes to shove, when.

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IN BRIEF: At what time.

We will eat when dad arrives.

Common misspelling(s) of when

• wehn

Dansk (Danish)
adv. - hvornår, når
conj. - da, når, skønt, hvor
pron. - da
n. - tid (og sted)

Nederlands (Dutch)
wanneer, als, toen, terwijl

Français (French)
adv. - quand (est-ce que), quand, lorsque, au moment où, à l'époque où, depuis (lors), d'ici là, chaque fois, dans la mesure du
conj. - quand, lorsque, alors que, dès que, quand tout d'un coup, une fois que
pron. - quand, où
n. - le moment où

Deutsch (German)
conj. - wann, als, wo, wenn
adv. - wann, als, wo
pron. - wann
n. - Wann

Ελληνική (Greek)
conj. - όταν, τη στιγμή που, αφού, δεδομένου ότι, οπότε, οπόταν
adv. - πότε;, όταν, τη στιγμή που
pron. - πότε;
n. - χρόνος, χρονική στιγμή

Italiano (Italian)
quando

Português (Portuguese)
conj. - quando
adv. - quando
pron. - quando (interrog.)
n. - quando (m)

Русский (Russian)
когда, время, дата

Español (Spanish)
adv. - cuándo
conj. - cuando
pron. - cuándo
n. - tiempo, fecha, ocasión de

Svenska (Swedish)
conj. - när, då
adv. - när, då
pron. - när, då
n. - (when and where)tid o plats

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
何时, 什么时候, 就在那个时候, 在...的时候, 什么时侯, 那时, 时间

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adv. - 何時, 什麼時候
conj. - 就在那個時候, 在...的時候
pron. - 什麼時侯, 那時
n. - 時間

한국어 (Korean)
adv. - 언제, 어느 정도에서
conj. - ~할 때에, ~할 때는 언제나, ~한 뒤 곧
pron. - 언제
n. - (문제의) 때, 시기

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 時, 場合
adv. - いつ, …する, …するとき, …するとそのとき
conj. - …するときに, するときはいつでも, …ならば, …であるのに

idioms:

• when all is said and done    つまり
• when it comes to the crunch    いざというときには
• when the chips are down    いざというときには
• when you think about it    考えてみろよ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(حرف عطف) متى (ظرف) متى (ضمير) وإذ ذاك, ومن ثم, مع أن, غرم أن (الاسم) زمان‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adv. - ‮מתי?, באיזו הזדמנות?, מתי זה קרה/יקרה?, כאשר, כש-, (זמן) שבו‬
conj. - ‮בשעה ש-, למרות ש-, כאשר, לאחר, ואז, בדיוק אז‬
pron. - ‮מתי?‬
n. - ‮הזמן, המקום, התאריך‬

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