Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
3,921,183,926 visitors served.
forum Join the Word of the Day Mailing List For webmasters
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

when

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
when  (hwn, wn)
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; see kwo- in Indo-European roots.]
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).

when [wɛn]
adv
1.
a.  at what time? over what period? when is he due?
b.  (used in indirect questions) ask him when he's due
say when to state when an action is to be stopped or begun, as when someone is pouring a drink
3. (subordinating) at a time at which; at the time at which; just as; after I found it easily when I started to look seriously
4. although he drives when he might walk
5. considereing the fact that how did you pass the exam when you'd not worked for it?
6. at which (time); over which (period) an age when men were men
n
(usually plural) a question as to the time of some occurrence
[Old English hwanne, hwænne; related to Old High German hwanne, hwenne, Latin cum]
Usage: When should not be used loosely as a substitute for in which after a noun which does not refer to a period of time: paralysis is a condition in which (not when) parts of the body cannot be moved
Translations
when [wen]
A. ADVERB
1. (in direct and indirect questions, reported speech)
When in direct and indirect questions as well as after expressions of (un)certainty and doubt (e.g. no sé) translates as cuándo (with an accent) and is used with the indicative:
cuándo
when did it happen?¿cuándo ocurrió?
he asked me when I had seen itme preguntó cuándo lo había visto
do you know when he died?¿sabes cuándo murió?
I know when it happenedyo sé cuándo ocurrió
he told me when the wedding would beme dijo cuándo sería la boda
he told me when to come inme indicó cuándo entrar
say when! (when serving food, drink) → ¡dime cuánto!
since when since when do you like or have you liked Indian food?¿desde cuándo te gusta la comida india?
till when?¿hasta cuándo?
2. (in exclamations) → cuándo
when will we learn to keep our mouths shut!¡cuándo aprenderemos a callar la boca!
3. (in other statements)
3.1. (= the time, day, moment, etc) → cuando
that was when the trouble startedentonces fue cuando empezaron los problemas
Monday? that's when Ted gets back¿el lunes? ese día es cuando vuelve Ted
that's when the programme startsa esa hora es cuando empieza el programa
1958: that's when I was born1958:(en)ese año nací yo
she told me about when she was in Londonme contó lo que le pasó cuando estuvo en Londres
3.2. (relative use)
If when follows a noun (e.g. day, time) and defines the noun, translate using (en) que not cuando:
(en)que
during the time when she lived abroaddurante el tiempo(en)que vivió en el extranjero
the year when you were bornel año(en)que naciste
she can't remember a time when she wasn't happyno recuerda una época(en)que no fuese feliz
there are times when I wish I'd never met himhay momentos en los que desearía no haberlo conocido nunca
If the when clause following a noun provides additional information which does not define or restrict the noun - in English as in Spanish commas are obligatory here - translate using cuando:
cuando
some days, when we're very busy, we don't finish work till very latealgunos días, cuando tenemos mucho trabajo, no acabamos hasta muy tarde
B. CONJUNCTION
1. (= at, during or after the time that)
As a conjunction, when can be translated by cuando (without an accent) followed by either the indicative or the subjunctive. Use the indicative when talking about the past or making general statements about the present. Use the subjunctive when the action is or was in the future:
cuando
when I came incuando entré
when I was youngcuando era joven
he had just sat down when the phone rangacababa de sentarse cuando sonó el teléfono
everything looks nicer when the sun is shiningtodo está más bonito cuando brilla el sol
he arrived at 8 o'clock, when traffic is at its peakllegó a las ocho en punto, en lo peor del tráfico
call me when you get therellámame cuando llegues
when the bridge is builtcuando se construya el puente
you can go when we have finishedpuedes irte cuando hayamos terminado
he said he'd tell me when I was olderdijo que me lo diría cuando fuera mayor
If when + VERB can be substituted by on + -ING in English and describes an action that takes place at the same time as another one or follows it very closely, you can use al + INFINITIVE:
be careful when crossing or when you cross the roadten cuidado al cruzar la calle
when he went out he saw it was rainingal salir vio que estaba lloviendo
when a student at Oxford, shecuando era estudiante or estudiaba en Oxford ...
my father, when young, had a fine tenor voicemi padre, de joven or cuando era joven, tenía una buena voz de tenor
when just three years old, he wascuando tenía sólo tres años, era ...
the floor is slippery when wetel suelo resbala cuando está mojado
hardly had the film begun when there was a power cutapenas había empezado la película cuando se fue la corriente
even whenaun cuando
2. (= if) → si, cuando
this sounds expensive when compared with other carséste parece caro si or cuando se compara con otros coches
how can I relax when I've got loads of things to do?¿cómo puedo relajarme si or cuando tengo montones de cosas que hacer?
I wouldn't walk when I could get the busno iría a pie si pudiese tomar el autobús
3. (= whereas) → cuando
he thought he was recovering, when in factpensaba que se estaba recuperando, cuando de hecho ...
she made us study when all we wanted to do was playnos hacía estudiar cuando lo único que queríamos hacer era jugar

when hwɛn]
advquand
When did he go? → Quand est-il parti?
conj
(= at, during, after the time that) → quand, lorsque
She was reading when I came in → Elle lisait quand je suis entré., Elle lisait lorsque je suis entré.
a time when → une époque
on the day when I met him → le jour où je l'ai rencontré
(= whereas) → alors que
I thought I was wrong when in fact I was right → J'ai cru que j'avais tort alors qu'en fait j'avais raison.

when
adv
(= at what time)wann; since when have you been here?seit wann sind Sie hier?; … since when he has been here… und seitdem ist er hier; say when! (inf)sag or schrei (inf)halt!
(rel) on the day whenan dem Tag, an dem or als or da (liter)or wo (inf); at the time whenzu der Zeit, zu der or als or da (liter)or wo (inf); he wrote last week, up till when I had heard nothing from himer schrieb letzte Woche und bis dahin hatte ich nichts von ihm gehört; in 1960, up till when he …im Jahre 1960, bis zu welchem Zeitpunkt er …; during the time when he was in Germanywährend der Zeit, als or wo or die (inf)er in Deutschland war
conj
wenn; (with past reference) → als; you can go when I have finisheddu kannst gehen, sobald or wenn ich fertig bin; he did it when younger tat es in seiner Jugend
(+gerund) → beim; (= at or during which time)wobei; when operating the machinebeim Benutzen or bei Benutzung der Maschine; be careful when crossing the roadseien Sie beim Überqueren der Straße vorsichtig, seien Sie vorsichtig, wenn Sie über die Straße gehen; the PM is coming here in May, when he will …der Premier kommt im Mai hierher und wird dann
(= although, whereas)wo … doch; why do you do it that way when it would be much easier like this?warum machst du es denn auf die Art, wo es doch so viel einfacher wäre?

when
adv when [wen]
at what time(?) When did you arrive?; When will you see her again?; I asked him when the incident had occurred; Tell me when to jump. wanneer مَتى кога kdy hvornår wann πότε cuando millal کى milloin quand מָתַי कब kada mikor? bilamana hvenær quando いつ (시간을 물어) 언제 kada kad bilakah wanneer når kiedy quando când когда kedy kdaj kada när เมื่อ ne zaman 何時 коли کب khi nào
[wən, wen] conj
1 (at or during) the time at which It happened when I was abroad; When you see her, give her this message; When I've finished, I'll telephone you. wanneer عِندَما когато když, až da; når als; wenn όταν cuando kui وقتيکه kun quand, lorsque כַּאֲשֵר जब kad amikor ketika þegar quando ~する時 …인 때(경우)에 (tuo metu) kai (tad) kad apabila toen, wanneer da; når gdy, kiedy quando când когда keď ko kada när ขณะที่ ...-diğinde, ...-ince 當...時 коли جب khi mà ...时
2 in spite of the fact that; considering that Why do you walk when you have a car? wanneer بالرَّغْم من، في الوَقْت الذي щом když når wenn ενώ si kuigi موقعى که vaikka alors que בְּעוֹד שֶ- बावजूद kad noha, amikor pedig padahal þrátt fyrir að; með tilliti til se ~というのに …에도 불구하고 jeigu ja sedangkan als når, skjønt, enda skoro quando când; deşi несмотря на keď ko kada när แม้ว่า olduğu hâlde 既然 коли, якщо باوجودیکہ mặc dù
adv whence [wens]
from what place or circumstance (?); from where (?). vanwaar, van waar من أيْن؟ откъде odkud hvorfra woher από πού; de dónde kust(kohast) از کجا mistä d'oû מְהֵיכָן कहां से, जहां से odakle honnan? dari mana hvaðan da dove どこから 어디로부터 iš kur no kurienes dari mana vanwaar skąd? donde de unde откуда odkiaľ odkod otkuda varifrån, hur [] จากที่ไหน nereden, ne yüzden 從何處或何種情況 звідки کس جگہ سے do đâu
adver / conj whenˈever
1 at any time that Come and see me whenever you want to. wanneer ook al في أي وَقْت، كُلَّما когато и да е kdykoli når som helst wann immer οποτεδήποτε cuando, siempre que millal iganes هر وقت که milloin tahansa toutes les fois que מָתַי שֶׁ- जब भी kad god akármikor setiap kali hvenær sem er ogni volta che, tutte le volte che いつでも …할 때는 언제나 kada tik kad vien entah bila wanneer... ook når som helst kiedykolwiek sempre que oricând когда бы ни kedykoľvek kadarkoli kad god närhelst เมื่อไรก็ตาม her ne zaman, (ol)duğu her zaman 無論何時 коли جب کبھی bất kỳ khi nào
2 at every time that I go to the theatre whenever I get the chance. wanneer, wanneer ook al كلَّما، في كُل وَقْتٍ когато pokaždé když hver gang sooft όποτε cuando, siempre que niipea kui هر زمان که aina kun chaque fois que מָתַישֶהוּ हर वक्त kad god valahányszor kapan saja hvenær sem ogni volta che いつも …했을 때는 곧 kai tik kad vien bila-bila sahaja telkens als når, hver gang gdy tylko sempre que de câte ori всякий раз, когда vždy keď kadarkoli kad god närhelst เมื่อไรก็ตาม her ne zaman 每當 кожного разу, коли, щоразу جب بھی bất kỳ khi nào

when عندما, متى kdy, když hvornår, når wann, wenn όταν, πότε cuando, cuándo kun, milloin quand kada quando ・・・する時は, いつ …인 때, 언제 wanneer når kiedy quando когда då, när เมื่อ, เมื่อหรือขณะที่ ne zaman, ne zaman ki khi, khi nào 什么时候, 在...的时候


Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Feedback
Add definition
Mentioned in?  References in classic literature?   Dictionary browser?   Full browser?
No references found
 
Nobody spoke for a minute; then Meg said in an altered tone, "You know the reason Mother proposed not having any presents this Christmas was because it is going to be a hard winter for everyone; and she thinks we ought not to spend money for pleasure, when our men are suffering so in the army.
It sounds like the wildest dream of a professional sleep-walker; and yet, when I stop to think, it isn't much worse than some of the things we've gone through with, Ned.
We were talking about what it is like to spend one's childhood in little towns like these, buried in wheat and corn, under stimulating extremes of climate: burning summers when the world lies green and billowy beneath a brilliant sky, when one is fairly stifled in vegetation, in the color and smell of strong weeds and heavy harvests; blustery winters with little snow, when the whole country is stripped bare and gray as sheet-iron.
 
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Terms of Use | Privacy policy | Feedback | Advertise with Us | Copyright © 2012 Farlex, Inc.
Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.