when
Part of speech: adv
conj
pron
noun
intj
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: From Middle English when(ne), whan(ne), 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 *kʷís (interrogative base).
Cognate with Scots whan (“when”), Dutch wanneer (“when”), wan (“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 [the word] when".
Inflected forms:
form: wen
pos: adv
tags: alternative
pronunciation-spelling
form: wen
pos: conj
tags: alternative
pronunciation-spelling
form: wen
pos: pron
tags: alternative
pronunciation-spelling
form: whens
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: wen
pos: noun
tags: alternative
pronunciation-spelling
form: wen
pos: intj
tags: alternative
pronunciation-spelling
Senses:
gloss: At what time? At which time? Upon which occasion or circumstance? Used to introduce direct or indirect questions about time.
pos: adv
tags: interrogative
not-comparable
examples: When will they arrive?
Do you know when they arrived?
I don't know when they arrived.
When they arrived is unknown.
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?
gloss: At what time? At which time? Upon which occasion or circumstance? Used to introduce direct or indirect questions about time.
pos: adv
tags: Internet
humorous
interrogative
not-comparable
often
examples: The site's all bugged. Fix when?
Tank class buff when?
My fridge even restocks itself these days. Glorious AI overlords when?
New patch when??
Iran EU when? lol
obligatory hl3 when? yea yea i know, likely never.
Bard and eve nerf when
gloss: At an earlier time and under different, usually less favorable, circumstances.
pos: adv
tags: not-comparable
examples: He's mister high and mighty now, but I remember him when.
gloss: At which, on which, during which: often omitted or replaced with that.
pos: adv
tags: not-comparable
relative
examples: That was the day when the Twin Towers fell.
Not a week goes by when I don't mourn that loss.
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.
gloss: The time at, on or during which.
pos: adv
tags: not-comparable
examples: I recall when they were called the Greys.
Next year is when we elect a new mayor.
gloss: A circumstance or situation in which.
pos: adv
tags: informal
not-comparable
examples: Love is when you can't get enough of someone.
gloss: At (or as soon as) that time that; at the (or any and every) time that; if.
pos: conj
examples: 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.
Don't forget to signal when (you are) turning right.
When she'd written her letters, she did some gardening.
Jose, when he finally managed to go to sleep, had a series of bad dreams.
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.
Energy has seldom been found where we need it when we want it.
gloss: During the time that; at the time of the action of the following clause or participle phrase.
pos: conj
examples: 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.
The Baggies had offered little threat until the 28th minute, but when their first chance came it was a clear one.
gloss: At what time; at which time.
pos: conj
examples: 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.
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, […]
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.
gloss: Since; given the fact that; considering that.
pos: conj
examples: I don't see the point of putting up Christmas decorations when I am the only person who is going to see them.
gloss: Whereas; although; at the same time as; in spite of the fact that.
pos: conj
examples: You're picking at your scabs when you should be letting them heal.
He keeps changing things when the existing system works perfectly well.
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?
gloss: What time; which time.
pos: pron
tags: interrogative
examples: Since when do I need your permission?
[...] ſhortly [...] I'le reſolue you [...] / Theſe happend accidents: till when, be cheerefull [...]
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.
[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.
So we combined the Kocher-Langenbeck and iliofemoral approach until 1965, since when we have combined the ilioinguinal and Kocher-Langenbeck approaches.
gloss: The time at which something happens.
pos: noun
examples: A good article will cover the who, the what, the when, the where, the why and the how.
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.
gloss: 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'.
pos: intj
tags: humorous
often
examples: HOCKEN: Say “when”, Frank. / DREBIN: Whe—
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.
He keeps the bottle in the top bureau drawer; he takes it out, and two glasses, and pours. Say when.
 When, please.
Producers have the power to say "when" when the actress involved is too stressed to continue. That's responsible filmmaking.
gloss: Expressing impatience.
pos: intj
tags: obsolete
examples: Why when I ſay?[…]Off with my boots, you rogues: you villaines, when?[…]Out you rogue[…]
Set parſon, ſet, the dice die in my hand: / VVhen parſon, vvhen! vvhat can ye finde no more?
VVhy vvhen? begin Sir: I muſt ſtay your leiſure.
Synonyms: whilst
seeing that
Translations:
lang: Afrikaans
word: wanneer
lang: Akkadian
word: inūma
lang: Albanian
word: kur
lang: Southern Altai
word: качан
roman: kačan
lang: Ao
word: kodang (Chungli)
lang: Arabic
word: مَتَى
roman: matā
lang: Chadian Arabic
word: متى
roman: mata
lang: Arabic
word: إمتى
roman: ʔemta
lang: Arabic
word: متى
roman: meta, mita
lang: Arabic
word: متى
roman: mita
lang: Arabic
word: امتى
roman: imta
lang: Arabic
word: فوقتاش
roman: fwaqtāš, fūqtāš
lang: Arabic
word: فوقاش
roman: fawqāš, fūqāš
lang: Arabic
word: فوقاه
roman: fawqāh, fūqāh
lang: Arabic
word: وقتاه
roman: waqtāh
lang: Arabic
word: معاش
roman: mʕāš
lang: Arabic
word: إيمتى
roman: ēmta, aymata
lang: Arabic
word: إيمتى
roman: ēmta
lang: Arabic
word: ونتى
roman: wenta
lang: Arabic
word: وقتيش
roman: waʔtēš
lang: Armenian
word: երբ
roman: erb
lang: Aromanian
word: cãndu
lang: Assamese
word: কেতিয়া
roman: ketia
lang: Asturian
word: cuándo
lang: Azerbaijani
word: haçan
lang: Azerbaijani
word: nə vaxt
lang: Azerbaijani
word: nə zaman
lang: Azerbaijani
word: havaxt
lang: Bashkir
word: ҡасан
roman: qasan
lang: Basque
word: noiz
lang: Belarusian
word: калі́
roman: kalí
lang: Bengali
word: কখন
roman: kokhon
lang: Bengali
word: কবে
roman: kobe
lang: Bhojpuri
word: कब
roman: kab
lang: Central Bikol
word: nuarin
lang: Central Bikol
word: kasuarin
lang: Breton
word: pegoulz
lang: Bulgarian
word: кога́
roman: kogá
lang: Burmese
word: ဘယ်တော့
roman: bhaitau.
lang: Burmese
word: ဘယ်တုန်းက
roman: bhaitun:ka.
lang: Carpathian Rusyn
word: кідь
roman: kidʹ
lang: Catalan
word: quan
lang: Central Atlas Tamazight
word: ⵎⴰⵏ ⴰⴽⵓⴷ
roman: man akud
lang: Central Atlas Tamazight
word: ⵎⴰⵏⴰⴳⵓ
roman: managu
lang: Central Atlas Tamazight
word: ⵎⴰⵏⵜⵓⵔ
roman: mantur
lang: Central Atlas Tamazight
word: ⵎⵍⵎⵉ
roman: mlmi
lang: Chamicuro
word: na'kolyaye
lang: Chechen
word: маца
roman: maca
lang: Chickasaw
word: kati̱hkaash
lang: Chickasaw
word: kati̱hkmak
lang: Chinese Cantonese
word: 幾時 /几时
roman: gei² si⁴
lang: Chinese Cantonese
word: 何時 /何时
roman: ho⁴ si⁴
lang: Chinese
word: дуәхур
roman: duəhur
lang: Chinese
word: 啥物時陣 /啥物时阵
roman: siáⁿ-mih sî-chūn, siáⁿ-mi̍h sî-chūn
lang: Chinese
word: 當時 /当时
roman: tang-sî
lang: Chinese
word: 底時 /底时
roman: tī-sî
lang: Chinese
word: 啥時 /啥时
roman: siáⁿ-sî
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 甚麼時候 /什麼時候 /什么时候
roman: shénme shíhòu
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 何時 /何时
roman: héshí
lang: Wu Chinese
word: 啥辰光
lang: Chinook Jargon
word: qʰənchi
lang: Chinook Jargon
word: kunsih
lang: Ngazidja Comorian
word: nɗi
lang: Cornish
word: p'eur
lang: Czech
word: kdy
lang: Dalmatian
word: cand
lang: Danish
word: hvornår
lang: Dutch
word: wanneer
lang: Old Dutch
word: wanne
lang: Old Dutch
word: wan
lang: Elfdalian
word: ną̊r
lang: Esperanto
word: kiam
lang: Estonian
word: millal
lang: Estonian
word: kunas
lang: Faroese
word: nær
lang: Finnish
word: milloin
lang: Finnish
word: koska
lang: French
word: quand
lang: Old French
word: quant
lang: Old Frisian
word: hwenne
lang: West-Frisian
word: wannear
lang: Friulian
word: cuant
lang: Friulian
word: cuand
lang: Galician
word: cando
lang: Georgian
word: როდის
roman: rodis
lang: German
word: wann
lang: Old High German
word: wanne
lang: Gothic
word: 𐍈𐌰𐌽
roman: ƕan
lang: Greek
word: πότε
roman: póte
lang: Ancient Greek
word: πότε
roman: póte
lang: Ancient Greek
word: πῆμος
roman: pêmos
lang: Ancient Greek
word: πηνίκα
roman: pēníka
lang: Greenlandic
word: qanga
lang: Greenlandic
word: qaqugu
lang: Haitian Creole
word: kan
lang: Hebrew
word: מָתַי
roman: matay
lang: Hebrew
word: באיזו שעה
roman: b'éizo sha'á
lang: Hindi
word: कब
roman: kab
lang: Hungarian
word: mikor
lang: Hunsrik
word: wann
lang: Icelandic
word: hvenær
lang: Ido
word: kande
lang: Ilocano
word: kanno
lang: Indonesian
word: kapan
lang: Irish
word: cathain
lang: Irish
word: cá huair
lang: Irish
word: cén uair
lang: Old Irish
word: cuin
lang: Italian
word: quando
lang: Japanese
word: 何時
roman: itsu
lang: Japanese
word: いつ
roman: itsu
lang: Kankanaey
word: tongona
lang: Kankanaey
word: eg-an
lang: Kapampangan
word: kapilan
lang: Karelian
word: konsa
lang: Karelian
word: konza
lang: Karelian
word: konža
lang: Kashubian
word: czedë
lang: Kazakh
word: қашан
roman: qaşan
lang: Khmer
word: អង្កាល់ណា
roman: ʼɑɑʼɑngkal naa
lang: Khmer
word: អង្កាល
roman: ʼɑɑʼɑngkaal
lang: Khmer
word: កាលណា
roman: kaal naa
lang: Khmer
word: វេលាណា
roman: veiliə naa
lang: Khmer
word: ពេលណា
roman: peil naa
lang: Konkani
word: केद्ना
roman: kednā
lang: Korean
word: 언제
roman: eonje
lang: Krio
word: ustem
lang: Australian Kriol
word: wotaim
lang: Central Kurdish
word: کەی
roman: key
lang: Northern Kurdish
word: kengî
lang: Kyrgyz
word: качан
roman: kacan
lang: Lao
word: ເມື່ອໃດ
roman: mư̄a dai
lang: Latgalian
word: kod
lang: Latin
word: quandō
lang: Latin
word: ubi
lang: Latvian
word: kad
lang: Lithuanian
word: kada
lang: Macedonian
word: кога
roman: koga
lang: Malagasy
word: ovìana
lang: Malagasy
word: rahoviana
lang: Malay
word: bila
lang: Malay
word: kapan
lang: Malayalam
word: എപ്പോൾ
roman: eppōḷ
lang: Manchu
word: ᠠᡨᠠᡢᡤᡳ
lang: Māori
word: inahea
lang: Māori
word: nōnahea
lang: Māori
word: āhea
lang: Middle English
word: whan
lang: Central Sierra Miwok
word: uṭum
lang: Mizo
word: eng tikah
lang: Mongolian
word: хэзээ
roman: xezee
lang: Mongolian
word: хэдийд
roman: xediid
lang: Navajo
word: hádą́ą́ʼ
lang: Navajo
word: hahgo
lang: Navajo
word: hahgoshąʼ
lang: Neapolitan
word: quanno
lang: Nepali
word: कहिले
roman: kahile
lang: Norman
word: quaend
lang: Norwegian
word: når
lang: Occitan
word: quand
lang: Old English
word: hwonne
lang: Old Saxon
word: hwanne
lang: Ossetian
word: кӕд
roman: kæd
lang: Persian
word: کی
roman: key
lang: Polish
word: kiedy
lang: Polish
word: gdy
lang: Portuguese
word: quando
lang: Romanian
word: când
lang: Russian
word: когда́
roman: kogdá
lang: Sanskrit
word: कदा
roman: kadā́
lang: Sardinian
word: cando
lang: Sardinian
word: canno
lang: Sardinian
word: candu
lang: Sardinian
word: candho
lang: Scots
word: whan
lang: Scottish Gaelic
word: cuin
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: када
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: kada
lang: Shan
word: မိူဝ်ႈလႂ်
roman: mōe lǎue
lang: Shor
word: қачан
roman: qaçan
lang: Sindhi
word: ڪڏهن
roman: kḏh̃
lang: Sinhalese
word: කවදා
roman: kawadā
lang: Slovak
word: kedy
lang: Slovene
word: kdáj
lang: Lower Sorbian
word: gdy
lang: Lower Sorbian
word: ga
lang: Spanish
word: cuándo
lang: Sundanese
word: iraha
lang: Swahili
word: lini
lang: Swedish
word: när
lang: Tagalog
word: kailan
lang: Tahitian
word: afea
lang: Tahitian
word: anafea
lang: Tahitian
word: ahea
lang: Tahitian
word: inafea
lang: Tahitian
word: 'i anafea
lang: Tajik
word: кай
roman: kay
lang: Tamil
word: எப்பொழுது
roman: eppoḻutu
lang: Tamil
word: எப்போது
roman: eppōtu
lang: Telugu
word: ఎప్పుడు
roman: eppuḍu
lang: Thai
word: เมื่อไหร่
lang: Thai
word: เมื่อไร
roman: mʉ̂ʉa-rai
lang: Thai
word: เมื่อใด
lang: Tocharian B
word: ente
lang: Tooro
word: di
lang: Turkish
word: ne zaman
lang: Turkmen
word: haçan
lang: Ukrainian
word: коли́
roman: kolý
lang: Urdu
word: کب
roman: kab
lang: Uyghur
word: قاچان
roman: qachan
lang: Uzbek
word: qachon
lang: Venetan
word: cuando
lang: Vietnamese
word: khi nào
lang: Vietnamese
word: bao giờ
lang: Waray-Waray
word: san-o
lang: Waray-Waray
word: kan-o
lang: Welsh
word: pryd
lang: Wolof
word: kañ
lang: Xhosa
word: xa
lang: Yaghnobi
word: кад
roman: kad
lang: Yakut
word: хаһан
roman: qahan
lang: Yiddish
word: ווען
roman: ven
lang: Yup'ik
word: qangvaq
lang: Yup'ik
word: qaku
lang: Zealandic
word: 'oeneer
lang: Zhuang
word: seizlawz
lang: Bashkir
word: ҡасан
roman: qasan
lang: Central Bikol
word: kun nuarin
lang: Central Bikol
word: kun kasuarin
lang: Catalan
word: quan
lang: Chechen
word: маца
roman: maca
lang: Chinese Cantonese
word: 幾時 /几时
roman: gei² si⁴
lang: Chinese
word: 啥物時陣 /啥物时阵
roman: siáⁿ-mih sî-chūn, siáⁿ-mi̍h sî-chūn
lang: Chinese
word: 當時 /当时
roman: tang-sî
lang: Chinese
word: 底時 /底时
roman: tī-sî
lang: Chinese
word: 啥時 /啥时
roman: siáⁿ-sî
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 甚麼時候 /什麼時候 /什么时候
roman: shénme shíhòu
lang: Czech
word: kdy
lang: Dutch
word: wanneer
lang: Esperanto
word: kiam
lang: Faroese
word: nær
lang: Finnish
word: milloin
lang: Finnish
word: koska
lang: French
word: quand
lang: Old French
word: quant
lang: Georgian
word: როდის
roman: rodis
lang: German
word: wann
lang: Greek
word: πότε
roman: póte
lang: Ancient Greek
word: ὁπότε
roman: hopóte
lang: Ancient Greek
word: πότε
roman: póte
lang: Ancient Greek
word: ὁπηνίκα
roman: hopēníka
lang: Ancient Greek
word: πηνίκα
roman: pēníka
lang: Hindi
word: कब
roman: kab
lang: Hungarian
word: amikor
lang: Ilocano
word: no kanno
lang: Indonesian
word: kapan
lang: Kankanaey
word: tongona
lang: Kankanaey
word: eg-an
lang: Kapampangan
word: nung kapilan
lang: Karelian
word: konsa
lang: Karelian
word: konza
lang: Karelian
word: konža
lang: Latin
word: quando
lang: Latvian
word: kad
lang: Malay
word: bila
lang: Malay
word: kapan
lang: Middle English
word: whan
lang: Norman
word: quaend
lang: Portuguese
word: quando
lang: Russian
word: когда́
roman: kogdá
lang: Sanskrit
word: कदा
roman: kadā́
lang: Scottish Gaelic
word: cuin
lang: Lower Sorbian
word: ga
lang: Spanish
word: cuándo
lang: Swedish
word: när
lang: Tagalog
word: kung kailan
lang: Tamil
word: எப்பொழுது
roman: eppoḻutu
lang: Tamil
word: எப்போது
roman: eppōtu
lang: Turkish
word: ne zaman
lang: Ukrainian
word: коли́
roman: kolý
lang: Venetan
word: cuando
lang: Venetan
word: co
lang: Venetan
word: có
lang: Venetan
word: con
lang: Vietnamese
word: bao giờ
lang: Welsh
word: pryd
lang: Zealandic
word: 'oeneer-a