. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
you have here. The definition of the word
will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle English when(ne), whanne, from Old English hwonne, from Proto-West Germanic *hwannē, from Proto-West Germanic *hwan, from Proto-Germanic *hwan (“at what time, when”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷis (interrogative base).
Cognate with Dutch wanneer (“when”) and wen (“when, if”), Low German wannehr (“when”), wann (“when”) and wenn (“if, when”), German wann (“when”) and wenn (“when, if”), Gothic 𐍈𐌰𐌽 (ƕan, “when, how”), Latin quandō (“when”). More at who.
Interjection sense: a playful misunderstanding of "say when" (i.e. say something / speak up when you want me to stop) as "say when".
Pronunciation
Adverb
when (not comparable)
- (interrogative) At what time? At which time? Upon which occasion or circumstance? Used to introduce direct or indirect questions about time.
When will they arrive?
Do you know when they arrived?
I don't know when they arrived.
When they arrived is unknown.
1834, Samuel Kirkham, English Grammar in Familiar Lectures, page 117:What words are used as interrogative pronouns? — Give examples.
When are the words, what, which, and that, called adj. pron.?
When are they called interrogative pronominal adjectives?
- (interrogative, Internet slang, often humorous) Used after a noun or noun phrase in isolation to express impatience with an anticipated future event.
The site's all bugged. Fix when?
Tank class buff when?
My fridge even restocks itself these days. Glorious AI overlords when?
2020 December 4, u/Woebn, “Why did Treant fell in love with Aiushtha?”, in Reddit, r/DotA2, archived from the original on 22 January 2024:New patch when??
2023 November 13, u/f4c1r, “Regions of Europe according to a Dutch map”, in Reddit, r/europe, archived from the original on 22 January 2024:Iran EU when? lol
2023 November 18, u/waiting4singularity, “Valve marks Half-Life's 25th anniversary with game update and documentary”, in Reddit, r/gamernews, archived from the original on 22 January 2024:obligatory hl3 when? yea yea i know, likely never.
2024 January 17, u/JabberwockyNZ, “14.2 Patch Preview”, in Reddit, r/leagueoflegends, archived from the original on 22 January 2024:Bard and eve nerf when
- At an earlier time and under different, usually less favorable, circumstances.
He's mister high and mighty now, but I remember him when.
- (relative) At which, on which, during which: often omitted or replaced with that.
That was the day when the Twin Towers fell.
1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, pages 58–59:The Celebrity, by arts unknown, induced Mrs. Judge Short and two other ladies to call at Mohair on a certain afternoon when Mr. Cooke was trying a trotter on the track. […] Their example was followed by others at a time when the master of Mohair was superintending in person the docking of some two-year-olds, and equally invisible.
- (fused relative) The time at, on or during which.
I recall when they were called the Greys.
Next year is when we elect a new mayor.
- (informal, in definitions or explanations) A circumstance or situation in which.
- Love is when you can't get enough of someone.
Translations
at what time, as a direct question
- Afrikaans: wanneer (af)
- Albanian: kur (sq)
- American Sign Language: 1@NearTipFinger-PalmDown-1@CenterChesthigh-FingerUp CirclesHoriz 1@TipFinger-PalmDown-1@CenterChesthigh-FingerUp
- Arabic: مَتَى (matā)
- Egyptian Arabic: امتى (imta)
- Hijazi Arabic: متى (mita)
- Moroccan Arabic: امتى (imta), فوقتاش (fwaqtāš, fūqtāš), فوقاش (fawqāš, fūqāš), فوقاه (fawqāh, fūqāh), وقتاه (waqtāh), معاش (mʕāš)
- North Levantine Arabic: إيمتى (ēmta)
- South Levantine Arabic: إيمتى (ēmta)
- Armenian: երբ (hy) (erb)
- Aromanian: cãndu
- Assamese: কেতিয়া (ketia)
- Asturian: cuándo (ast)
- Azerbaijani: haçan, nə vaxt, nə zaman, havaxt
- Bashkir: ҡасан (qasan)
- Basque: noiz
- Belarusian: калі́ (be) (kalí)
- Bengali: কখন (bn) (kokhon) (what time), কবে (bn) (kobe) (what day)
- Bikol Central: nuarin (bcl) (used when the expected answer will happen in the future), kasuarin (bcl) (used when the expected answer has already happened)
- Breton: pegoulz (br)
- Bulgarian: кога́ (bg) (kogá)
- Burmese: (in the future) ဘယ်တော့ (my) (bhaitau.), (in the past) ဘယ်တုန်းက (my) (bhaitun:ka.)
- Carpathian Rusyn: кідь (kidʹ)
- Catalan: quan (ca)
- Central Atlas Tamazight: ⵎⴰⵏ ⴰⴽⵓⴷ (man akud), ⵎⴰⵏⴰⴳⵓ (managu), ⵎⴰⵏⵜⵓⵔ (mantur), ⵎⵍⵎⵉ (mlmi)
- Central Sierra Miwok: uṭum
- Chamicuro: na'kolyaye
- Chechen: маца (maca)
- Chickasaw: kati̱hkaash (past tense), kati̱hkmak (present tense)
- Chinese:
- Cantonese: 幾時/几时 (yue) (gei2 si4), 何時/何时 (ho4 si4) (literary)
- Dungan: дуәхур (duəhur)
- Hokkien: 啥物時陣/啥物时阵 (siáⁿ-mih sî-chūn, siáⁿ-mi̍h sî-chūn), 當時/当时 (zh-min-nan) (tang-sî), 底時/底时 (zh-min-nan) (tī-sî), 啥時/啥时 (siáⁿ-sî)
- Mandarin: 甚麼時候/什麼時候/什么时候 (shénme shíhòu), (literary) 何時/何时 (zh) (héshí)
- Wu: 啥辰光
- Cornish: p'eur
- Czech: kdy (cs)
- Dalmatian: cand
- Danish: hvornår (da)
- Dutch: wanneer (nl)
- Elfdalian: nǫr
- Esperanto: kiam (eo)
- Estonian: millal (et), kunas
- Faroese: nær (fo)
- Finnish: milloin (fi), koska (fi)
- French: quand (fr)
- Old French: quant
- Friulian: cuant, cuand
- Galician: cando (gl)
- Georgian: როდის (rodis)
- German: wann (de)
- Old High German: wanne
- Gothic: 𐍈𐌰𐌽 (ƕan)
- Greek: πότε (el) (póte)
- Ancient: πότε (póte), (rare) πῆμος (pêmos), (time of day) πηνίκα (pēníka)
- Greenlandic: (past) qanga, (future) qaqugu
- Haitian Creole: kan
- Hebrew: מָתַי (he) (matay), (at what time) באיזו שעה (b'éizo sha'á)
- Hindi: कब (hi) (kab)
- Hungarian: mikor (hu)
- Icelandic: hvenær (is)
- Ido: kande (io)
- Ilocano: kanno
- Indonesian: kapan (id)
- Irish: cathain, cá huair, cén uair
- Old Irish: cuin
- Italian: quando (it)
- Japanese: 何時 (ja) (いつ, itsu), いつ (ja) (itsu)
- Kapampangan: kapilan
- Kashubian: czedë
- Kazakh: қашан (kk) (qaşan)
- Khmer: អង្កាល់ណា (ʼɑngkal naa), អង្កាល (ʼɑngkaal), កាលណា (kaal naa), វេលាណា (veiliə naa), ពេលណា (peil naa)
- Konkani: केद्ना (kednā)
- Korean: 언제 (ko) (eonje)
- Krio: ustem
- Kriol: wotaim
- Kurdish:
- Central Kurdish: کەی (key)
- Northern Kurdish: kengî (ku)
- Kyrgyz: качан (ky) (kacan)
- Lao: ເມື່ອໃດ (mư̄a dai)
- Latgalian: kod
- Latin: quandō (la), ubi (la)
- Latvian: kad (lv)
- Lithuanian: kada (lt)
- Lü: please add this translation if you can
- Macedonian: кога (koga)
- Malagasy: ovìana (past), rahoviana (mg) (future)
- Malay: bila (ms), kapan (ms)
- Malayalam: എപ്പോൾ (ml) (eppōḷ)
- Manchu: ᠠᡨᠠᡢᡤᡳ (ataᡢgi)
- Maori: inahea (past time), nōnahea (past time), āhea (future time)
- Middle English: whan
- Mongolian: хэзээ (mn) (xezee), хэдийд (xediid)
- Navajo: hádą́ą́ʼ (referring to the past), hahgo (referring to the future), hahgoshąʼ (in the future)
- Neapolitan: quanno
- Nepali: कहिले (ne) (kahile)
- Ngazidja Comorian: nɗi
- Norman: quaend (Guernsey)
- Northern Kankanay: tongona
- Northern Thai: please add this translation if you can
- Norwegian: når (no)
- Occitan: quand (oc)
- Old Dutch: wanne, wan
- Old English: hwonne
- Old Frisian: hwenne
- Old Saxon: hwanne
- Ossetian: кӕд (kæd)
- Persian: کی (fa) (key)
- Polish: kiedy (pl), gdy (pl) (relative)
- Portuguese: quando (pt)
- Romanian: când (ro)
- Russian: когда́ (ru) (kogdá)
- Sanskrit: कदा (sa) (kadā́)
- Sardinian: cando, canno, candu, candho
- Scots: whan
- Scottish Gaelic: cuin
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: када
- Roman: kada (sh)
- Shan: မိူဝ်ႈလႂ် (shn) (mōe lǎue)
- Shor: қачан (qaçan)
- Sindhi: ڪڏهن (sd)
- Sinhalese: කවදා (kawadā)
- Slovak: kedy
- Slovene: kdáj (sl)
- Sorbian:
- Lower Sorbian: gdy, ga
- Spanish: cuándo (es)
- Sundanese: iraha
- Swahili: lini
- Swedish: när (sv)
- Tagalog: kailan (tl)
- Tahitian: afea (future), anafea (future), ahea (future), inafea (past), 'i anafea (past)
- Tajik: кай (tg) (kay)
- Telugu: ఎప్పుడు (te) (eppuḍu)
- Thai: เมื่อไหร่ (th), เมื่อไร (th) (mʉ̂ʉa-rai), เมื่อใด
- Tocharian B: ente
- Turkish: ne zaman (tr)
- Turkmen: haçan
- Ukrainian: коли́ (uk) (kolý)
- Urdu: کب (kab)
- Uyghur: قاچان (qachan)
- Uzbek: qachon (uz)
- Venetian: cuando
- Vietnamese: khi nào (vi), bao giờ (vi)
- Waray-Waray: san-o, kan-o
- Welsh: pryd (cy)
- West Frisian: wannear
- Wolof: kañ (wo)
- Xhosa: xa
- Yagnobi: кад (kad)
- Yakut: хаһан (qahan)
- Yiddish: ווען (ven)
- Yup'ik: qangvaq (past), qaku (future)
- Zealandic: 'oeneer
- Zhuang: seizlawz
|
at what time, as an indirect question
- Bashkir: ҡасан (qasan)
- Bikol Central: kun nuarin, kun kasuarin
- Catalan: quan (ca)
- Chechen: маца (maca)
- Chinese:
- Cantonese: 幾時/几时 (yue) (gei2 si4)
- Hokkien: 啥物時陣/啥物时阵 (siáⁿ-mih sî-chūn, siáⁿ-mi̍h sî-chūn), 當時/当时 (zh-min-nan) (tang-sî), 底時/底时 (zh-min-nan) (tī-sî), 啥時/啥时 (siáⁿ-sî)
- Mandarin: 甚麼時候/什麼時候/什么时候 (shénme shíhòu)
- Czech: kdy (cs)
- Dutch: wanneer (nl)
- Esperanto: kiam (eo)
- Faroese: nær (fo)
- Finnish: milloin (fi), koska (fi)
- French: quand (fr)
- Old French: quant
- Georgian: როდის (rodis)
- German: wann (de)
- Greek: πότε (el) (póte)
- Ancient: ὁπότε (hopóte), πότε (póte); (time of day) ὁπηνίκα (hopēníka), πηνίκα (pēníka)
- Hindi: कब (hi) (kab)
- Hungarian: amikor (hu)
- Ilocano: no kanno
- Indonesian: kapan (id)
- Kapampangan: nung kapilan
- Latin: quando (la)
- Latvian: kad (lv)
- Malay: bila (ms), kapan (ms)
- Middle English: whan
- Norman: quaend (Guernsey)
- Northern Kankanay: no tongona, mo tongona
- Portuguese: quando (pt)
- Russian: когда́ (ru) (kogdá)
- Sanskrit: कदा (sa) (kadā́)
- Scottish Gaelic: cuin
- Sorbian:
- Lower Sorbian: ga
- Spanish: cuándo (es)
- Swedish: när (sv)
- Tagalog: kung kailan
- Turkish: ne zaman (tr)
- Ukrainian: коли́ (uk) (kolý)
- Venetian: cuando, co (vec), có, con
- Vietnamese: bao giờ (vi)
- Welsh: pryd (cy)
- Zealandic: 'oeneer-a (non-conjugated form)
|
at an earlier time and under different circumstances
at which, on which, during which
Conjunction
when
- At (or as soon as) that time that; at the (or any and every) time that; if.
Pavlov's dogs salivate when [i.e. at any and every time that] they hear a bell.
When [i.e. at any and every time that] he speaks to her, he is always polite.
Put your pencil down when [i.e. as soon as, at the moment that] the timer goes off.
A player wins when [as soon as, or at any time that, if] she has four cards of the same suit.
A student is disqualified when [as soon as, if] they cheat.
1914, Louis Joseph Vance, “Accessary After the Fact”, in Nobody, New York, N.Y.: George H[enry] Doran Company, published 1915, →OCLC, page 48:Turning back, then, toward the basement staircase, she began to grope her way through blinding darkness, but had taken only a few uncertain steps when, of a sudden, she stopped short and for a little stood like a stricken thing, quite motionless save that she quaked to her very marrow in the grasp of a great and enervating fear.
- During the time that; at the time of the action of the following clause or participle phrase.
They dream when [i.e. during the time that] they sleep.
I'm happiest when [during the time that, or at any time that] I’m working.
It was raining when I came yesterday.
The game is over when the referee says it is.
Be careful when crossing the street.
When (you are) angry, count to ten before speaking or acting.
2012 April 22, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0-1 West Brom”, in BBC Sport:The Baggies had offered little threat until the 28th minute, but when their first chance came it was a clear one.
- At what time; at which time.
I am here till Friday, when [i.e. at which time] I leave for Senegal.
I was just walking down the street, when [i.e. at which time] all of a sudden it started to rain.
1839, John Donne, The Works of John Donne: Sermons, Letters, Poems, page 310:I am at London only to provide for Monday, when I shall use that favour which my Lady Bedford hath afforded me, of giving her name to my daughter; which I mention to you, […]
1929, Donald John Munro, The Roaring Forties and After, page 38:He sat at the door of his kitchen watching, and seeing there was nothing else for it we buckled to and soon had the job done; when we were admitted to the kitchen and given a really good meal.
- Since; given the fact that; considering that.
I don't see the point of putting up Christmas decorations when I am the only person who is going to see them.
- Whereas; although; at the same time as; in spite of the fact that.
You're picking at your scabs when you should be letting them heal.
He keeps changing things when the existing system works perfectly well.
c. 1604–1626, doubtfully attributed to Francis Beaumont, John Fletcher, “The Faithful Friends”, in Henry [William] Weber, editor, The Works of Beaumont and Fletcher, in Fourteen Volumes: , volume I, Edinburgh: F C and J Rivington; , published 1812, →OCLC, Act II, scene ii, page 53:Oh age! / Where only wealthy men are counted happy: / How ſhall I pleaſe thee? how deſerve thy ſmiles? / When I am only rich in miſery?
Synonyms
Translations
as soon as, at the time that
- Armenian: երբ (hy) (erb)
- Belizean Creole: wen
- Bengali: যখন (bn) (jokhon), যখনই (bn) (jôkhôni) (whenever), যেই (bn) (jei)
- Bulgarian: когато (bg) (kogato)
- Catalan: quan (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 當/当 (zh) (dāng)
- Czech: až (cs)
- Danish: når (da)
- Dutch: als (nl), wanneer (nl), zodra (nl)
- Esperanto: kiam (eo)
- Estonian: kui (et)
- Faroese: tá
- Finnish: kun (fi)
- French: dès que (fr)
- Georgian: როდესაც (rodesac), როცა (roca)
- German: wenn (de), sobald (de)
- Greek: όταν (el) (ótan), αφού (el) (afoú)
- Hebrew: כש- (kshe-)
- Icelandic: þegar (is)
- Irish: nuair
- Italian: quando (it)
- Japanese: (literary) ...した時 (ja) (...shita toki), ...したとき (ja) (...shita toki), (colloquial) ...したら (...shitara)
- Latvian: kad (lv)
- Macedonian: кога (koga), штом (štom)
- Maori: i a
- Middle English: whan
- Nepali: तब (taba)
- Northern Kankanay: idi
- Norwegian: når (no)
- Old English: þā, þonne
- Polish: gdy (pl)
- Portuguese: quando (pt), assim que
- Romanian: când (ro)
- Russian: когда́ (ru) (kogdá)
- Scots: whan
- Scottish Gaelic: nuair
- Slovak: keď, až
- Spanish: cuando (es)
- Swedish: när (sv), då (sv)
- Tagalog: kapag, pagka- (+ verb)
- Tocharian B: ente
- Ukrainian: коли́ (uk) (kolý)
- Venetian: co (vec), có, con
- Welsh: pan (cy)
|
during the time that
- Arabic: عِنْدَمَا (ʕindamā), لَمَّا (lammā), حِينَ (ar) (ḥīna), إِذ (ar) (ʔiḏ)
- Armenian: երբ (hy) (erb)
- Asturian: cuando
- Bengali: যখন (bn) (jokhon)
- Chinese:
- Cantonese: (ge3 si4 hau6)
- Mandarin: ...的時候/...的时候 (zh) (... de shihou)
- Czech: když (cs)
- Danish: når (da)
- Dutch: als (nl), wanneer (nl)
- Egyptian: (ḫft)
- Esperanto: kiam (eo), dum (eo)
- Estonian: kui (et)
- Faroese: tá
- Finnish: kun (fi)
- French: lorsque (fr), quand (fr)
- Georgian: როდესაც (rodesac)
- German: wenn (de), als (de) (for past events)
- Greek: όταν (el) (ótan)
- Ancient: ὅταν (hótan)
- Hebrew: כאשר (ka'asher)
- Hindi: जब (hi) (jab)
- Icelandic: þegar (is)
- Ilocano: no
- Indonesian: ketika (id)
- Irish: nuair
- Italian: quando (it)
- Japanese: ...の時 (ja) (...no toki), ...のとき (ja) (...no toki)
- Lao: ເມື່ອ (mư̄a), ພໍ (phǭ)
- Latvian: kad (lv)
- Macedonian: кога (koga)
- Malay: semasa (ms)
- Maori: a hei
- Middle English: whan
- Neapolitan: quann
- Ngazidja Comorian: esa
- Norman: quaend (Guernsey)
- Northern Kankanay: no, mo
- Norwegian: når (no)
- Old English: þā, þonne
- Polish: gdy (pl)
- Portuguese: quando (pt)
- Romanian: când (ro)
- Russian: когда́ (ru) (kogdá)
- Sanskrit: यदा (sa) (yadā́)
- Scots: whan
- Scottish Gaelic: nuair
- Shan: မိူဝ်ႈ (shn) (mōe)
- Slovak: keď
- Spanish: cuando (es)
- Sundanese: basa (su)
- Swedish: när (sv), då (sv)
- Tagalog: kapag
- Thai: ขณะที่ (kà-nà têe), เมื่อ (th) (mʉ̂ʉa), ครั้น (th) (krán), พอ (th) (pɔɔ)
- Ukrainian: коли́ (uk) (kolý)
- Urdu: جب (jab)
- Venetian: co (vec), có, con
- Vietnamese: khi (vi)
- Welsh: tra, pan (cy), amser (cy)
- Yiddish: אַז (az)
|
at what time; at which time
- Albanian: kur (sq)
- Arabic: مَتَى (matā)
- Armenian: երբ (hy) (erb)
- Aromanian: cãndu
- Assamese: যেতিয়া (zetia), কেতিয়া (ketia)
- Asturian: cuando
- Azerbaijani: o vaxt ki, o zaman ki, -əndə
- Belarusian: калі́ (be) (kalí)
- Bengali: যখন (bn) (jokhon)
- Bikol Central: nuarin (bcl), kasuarin (bcl)
- Bulgarian: кога́то (bg) (kogáto)
- Chechen: маца (maca)
- Cherokee: ᎯᎳᏳᎢ (hilayui)
- Chinese:
- Cantonese: 幾時/几时 (yue) (gei2 si4)
- Mandarin: 什麼時候/什么时候 (zh) (shénme shíhòu), 幾時/几时 (zh) (jǐshí), 何時/何时 (zh) (héshí)
- Czech: kdy (cs)
- Danish: hvornår (da)
- Dutch: wanneer (nl)
- Esperanto: kiam (eo)
- Estonian: millal (et)
- Faroese: nær (fo)
- Finnish: jolloin (fi)
- French: quand (fr)
- Friulian: cuant, cuand
- Georgian: როდისთვის (rodistvis)
- German: wenn (de), als (de) (for past events)
- Greek: πότε (el) (póte)
- Ancient: ὅτε (hóte); (Doric) ὅκα (hóka); (Aeolic) ὄτα (óta)
- Hebrew: מתי (he) (matay)
- Hindi: जब (hi) (jab), कब (hi) (kab), यदा (hi) (yadā)
- Indonesian: kapan (id)
- Irish: nuair
- Old Irish: a
- Italian: quando (it)
- Japanese: 何時 (ja) (itsu), いつ (ja) (itsu)
- Korean: 언제 (ko) (eonje)
- Lao: ເມື່ອ (mư̄a)
- Latin: quandō (la)
- Latvian: kad (lv)
- Macedonian: кога (koga)
- Malay: masa (ms)
- Maori: iwhea nonawhea āwhea
- Middle English: whan
- Norman: quaend (Guernsey)
- Norwegian: når (no)
- Old English: þā
- Persian: وقتی (fa) (vaqti), وقتی که (fa) (vaqti ke), زمانی که (zamâni ke), در زمان (dar zamân-e), به هنگام (be hangâm-e), هنگامی که (fa) (hangâmi ke), چون (fa) (čon)
- Polish: kiedy (pl)
- Portuguese: quando (pt)
- Romanian: când (ro)
- Russian: когда́ (ru) (kogdá), в то вре́мя как (ru) (v to vrémja kak)
- Sanskrit: यदा (sa) (yadā́)
- Sardinian: cando, canno, candu, candho
- Scots: whan
- Scottish Gaelic: nuair
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: када
- Roman: kada (sh)
- Shan: မိူဝ်ႈ (shn) (mōe)
- Slovak: kedy
- Slovene: ko (sl)
- Spanish: cuando (es)
- Swedish: när (sv)
- Thai: เมื่อ (th) (mêua)
- Ukrainian: коли́ (uk) (kolý)
- Urdu: جب (jab)
- Vietnamese: khi nào (vi), khi (vi), lúc nào, bao giờ (vi)
- Welsh: pan (cy)
- Yiddish: ווען (ven)
- Zealandic: 'oeneer-a (non-conjugated form)
|
since; given the fact that; considering that
whereas; although; in spite of the fact that
Translations to be checked
- Albanian: please add this translation if you can
- Basque: please add this translation if you can
- Bulgarian: (please verify) кога́ (bg) (kogá)
- Czech: (please verify) když (cs)
- Danish: (please verify) da (da)
- Dutch: (please verify) toen (nl)
- Esperanto: (please verify) kiam (eo)
- Estonian: (please verify) kui (et)
- Faroese: (please verify) tá
- French: (please verify) quand (fr)
- Georgian: (please verify) როდესაც (rodesac)
- Georgian: (please verify) როცა (roca)
- Greek: (please verify) όταν (el) (ótan)
- Hungarian: (1, 2) (please verify) mikor (hu), (2, 3) (please verify) amikor (hu), (3) (please verify) amint (hu)
- Icelandic: (please verify) þegar (is)
- Ido: (please verify) kande (io), (please verify) kand (io)
- Indonesian: (please verify) kapan (id), (please verify) saat (id), (please verify) jika (id)
- Indonesian: (please verify) saat (id)
- Interlingua: (please verify) quando (ia)
- Irish: (please verify) nuair
- Italian: (please verify) quando (it)
- Japanese: (please verify) ...時 (ja) (... toki), (please verify) ...のとき (ja) (...no toki), (used as in a longer time-span)(please verify) ...頃 (ja) (...koro)
- Kannada: please add this translation if you can
- Khmer: (please verify) ពេលណា (bpēil nā)
- Korean: (please verify) 언제 (ko) (eonje)
- Kurdish:
- Central Kurdish: (please verify) کەی (key)
- Northern Kurdish: (please verify) kengî (ku)
- Latin: (please verify) cum (la), (please verify) ante (la)
- Latvian: (please verify) kad (lv)
- Macedonian: (please verify) кога (koga)
- Malagasy: (future) (please verify) rehefa (mg)
- Malay: (please verify) apabila (ms), (please verify) semasa (ms)
- Maltese: please add this translation if you can
- Maori: please add this translation if you can
- Norman: (please verify) quaend (Guernsey)
- Norwegian: (please verify) da (no)
- Old English: (please verify) þā
- Odia: please add this translation if you can
- Persian: (please verify) وقتی (fa) (vaqti)
- Portuguese: (please verify) quando (pt)
- Romanian: (please verify) când (ro)
- Romanian: (1,2,3) (please verify) când (ro), (2,3) (please verify) atunci când
- Russian: (please verify) когда́ (ru) (kogdá)
- Scots: (please verify) whan
- Serbo-Croatian: (please verify) kad (sh), (please verify) kada (sh)
- Shor: (please verify) чер
- Slovak: (please verify) keď
- Spanish: (please verify) cuando (es)
- Swedish: (please verify) när (sv)
- Tajik: (please verify) чу (ču)
- Tamil: please add this translation if you can
- Thai: (please verify) เมื่อ (th) (mêua)
- Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can
- Volapük: (please verify) kü (vo)
- Welsh: (please verify) pan (cy)
|
Pronoun
when
- (interrogative) What time; which time.
Since when do I need your permission?
1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 18, column 2:[...] ſhortly [...] I'le reſolue you [...] / Theſe happend accidents: till when, be cheerefull [...]
- 1831 (published), John Davies, Orchestra Or, a Poem of Dancing, in Robert Southey, Select Works of the British Poets: From Chaucer to Jonson, with Biographical Sketches, page 706:
- Homer, to whom the Muses did carouse
- A great deep cup with heav'nly nectar fill'd,
- The greatest, deepest cup in Jove's great house,
- (For Jove himself had so expressly will'd)
- He drank off all, nor let one drop be spill'd;
- Since when, his brain that had before been dry,
- Became the well-spring of all poetry.
1833, William Potts Dewees, A Treatise on the Diseases of Females, page 495::[This] we imagined might have been owing to some accidental condition of the system, or perhaps idiosyncracy; this led us to a second trial, but we experienced the same inconveniences, since when, we have altogether abandoned their use.
2012, Emile Letournel, Robert Judet, Fractures of the Acetabulum, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 385:So we combined the Kocher-Langenbeck and iliofemoral approach until 1965, since when we have combined the ilioinguinal and Kocher-Langenbeck approaches.
Translations
Noun
when (plural whens)
- The time at which something happens.
A good article will cover the who, the what, the when, the where, the why and the how.
2008, Paolo Aite, Lanscapes of the Psyche, Ipoc Press, →ISBN, page 151:For the moment, suffice it to say that the stories told through the whens and hows of building a scene differentiate individual desires and needs more clearly than shared speech was up to then able to communicate.
Translations
Interjection
when
- (often humorous) That's enough: a command asking someone to stop adding something, especially an ingredient or portion of food or drink; used in, or as if in, literal response to 'Say when'.
2004, Andy Husbands, Joe Yonan, The Fearless Chef: Innovative Recipes from the Edge of American Cuisine, page 83:When we go out to a restaurant, we're the guys who never say "when" when the waiter is grinding fresh pepper on our salads.
2009, Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin, page 111:He keeps the bottle in the top bureau drawer; he takes it out, and two glasses, and pours. Say when.
When, please.
2011, Fritz Allhoff, Dave Monroe, Porn - Philosophy for Everyone: How to Think With Kink:Producers have the power to say "when" when the actress involved is too stressed to continue. That's responsible filmmaking.
- (obsolete) Expressing impatience.
- Coordinate term: what
c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 221, column 2:Why when I ſay? […] Off with my boots, you rogues: you villaines, when? […] Out you rogue […]
1600, [Michael Drayton, Richard Hathwaye, Anthony Munday, Robert Wilson], The First Part of the True and Honorable Historie, of the Life of Sir John Old-castle, the Good Lord Cobham. , London: [V S] for Thomas Pauier, , →OCLC:Set parſon, ſet, the dice die in my hand: / VVhen parſon, vvhen! vvhat can ye finde no more?
c. 1615 (date written), Tho[mas] Middleton, “More Dissemblers besides Women. A Comedy”, in Two New Playes. , London: Humphrey Moseley, , published 1657, →OCLC, Act V, scene i, page 66:VVhy vvhen? begin Sir: I muſt ſtay your leiſure.
Translations
Derived terms
References
Anagrams
Middle English
Etymology 1
Adverb
when
- Alternative form of whenne
Conjunction
when
- Alternative form of whenne
Etymology 2
Verb
when
- Alternative form of winnen (“to win”)