When example sentences

Related (11): whenever, while, during, once, before, after, until, since, whereas, if, then

"When" Example Sentences

  1. I remember exactly when we first met at that coffee shop downtown.
  2. When did you realize you weren't happy in that job anymore?
  3. She called me at midnight, which was weird because she never texts when she's upset.
  4. He kept asking when I was going to make a decision about moving in together.
  5. When the power went out, we just sat in the dark and talked for hours.
  6. I don't know when I'll see you again, but I hope it's soon.
  7. They asked when the baby was due, and I told them mid-September.
  8. When you grow up in a small town, everyone knows your business.
  9. She's been distant ever since — I'm not sure when things changed between us.
  10. When the pandemic started, nobody knew how long it would last.
  11. He said he'd call when he landed, but that was three hours ago.
  12. When I was younger, I thought I'd have it all figured out by now.
  13. The worst part is not knowing when this will end.
  14. When did everything become so complicated?
  15. I'll text you when I'm on my way home from work.
  16. When she walked in, everyone just stopped talking.
  17. He's been acting strange ever since the accident — I don't know when he'll be okay.
  18. When you're exhausted, everything feels impossible.
  19. She asked when I last checked in with my parents.
  20. When the news broke, it spread across social media in minutes.
  21. I can't remember when I last felt this calm.
  22. When did you stop believing in yourself like that?
  23. He kept checking his phone, waiting for when she'd respond.
  24. When life gets hard, you find out who your real friends are.
  25. She's been avoiding the question about when they're getting married.
  26. When the contract arrived, there were so many red flags.
  27. I knew when I saw his face that something was wrong.
  28. When you're in love, you do stupid things.
  29. He said he'd know when the time was right to propose.
  30. When the interview went badly, I thought my chances were gone.
  31. She's been wondering when he'll finally ask her out.
  32. When did you become so cynical about relationships?
  33. I'll believe it when I see it with my own eyes.
  34. When the diagnosis came back positive, everything changed.
  35. He asked when I'd be ready to forgive him.
  36. When you're grieving, time moves differently.
  37. She knew when to push and when to back off.
  38. When the opportunity came up, I didn't hesitate.
  39. I'm not sure when I stopped trying so hard.
  40. When all else fails, you lean on the people who love you.

Common Phrases

  1. when the time comes
  2. when you think about it
  3. when it comes to
  4. when all is said and done
  5. when push comes to shove
  6. when least expected
  7. when the dust settles
  8. when in doubt
  9. when you get a chance
  10. when life gives you lemons
  11. when the going gets tough
  12. when I was younger
  13. when you're ready
  14. when the moment is right

Examples by Level

A1
  1. When I eat ice cream, I am happy.
  2. My friend came to my house when it was raining.
  3. When do you go to school?
A2
  1. I didn't know what to say when she told me she was leaving.
  2. The best part of my day is when I finish work and go home.
  3. When we were kids, we used to play in the park every afternoon.
B1
  1. I realized how much I missed them only when they moved away.
  2. There's something strange about how quiet everything gets when it snows.
  3. When you're stressed, you don't always make the best decisions — I learned that the hard way.
B2
  1. The irony wasn't lost on me: when I finally stopped trying so hard, everything fell into place.
  2. She had this habit of changing the subject whenever things got uncomfortable — I noticed it most when we talked about her family.
  3. When people ask if I regret it, I honestly don't know how to answer anymore.
C1
  1. There's a particular vulnerability that emerges when you admit to someone that you were wrong.
  2. The most interesting conversations happen when nobody's trying to impress anyone else.
  3. What strikes me most about that period is how, when you're living through it, you have no idea it's going to define you.
C2
  1. When grief finally loosens its grip, you don't notice it happening — you just realize one day that you've been breathing normally again.
  2. There's a kind of clarity that comes only when you've exhausted every other option and have nothing left but the truth.
  3. The peculiar thing about regret is that when you examine it closely enough, it often reveals something you needed to learn.

Examples by Scenario

🏠 Everyday Life
  1. I always check my phone when I wake up, even though nothing important ever happens before 9 AM.
  2. The dog goes absolutely mental when the mail carrier shows up — I can hear him from three houses away.
  3. When my neighbor asked to borrow sugar, I realized I hadn't actually talked to her in two years.
💼 Workplace
  1. The meeting ran forty minutes over, which is exactly when I remembered I had another call scheduled.
  2. My coworker sends emails at midnight and expects responses when she gets in the next morning.
  3. When the boss said we were 'restructuring,' everyone knew what that actually meant.
📊 Business
  1. Sales spike dramatically when we run the holiday campaign, but we still haven't figured out the exact ROI.
  2. The client's brand loyalty tanked when a competitor undercut them by 15 percent.
  3. When we shifted to a subscription model, retention improved but customer acquisition costs doubled.
🛒 Buying / Shopping
  1. I always end up spending more than I planned when I go to the grocery store hungry.
  2. The reviews say the product is great, but when you actually read them, half are from people who returned it.
  3. When I saw the price tag, I put it back immediately — no way I'm paying that much for a coffee maker.
✈️ Travel
  1. The flight attendant told me to put my phone away when we were still on the ground, which seemed a bit early.
  2. I booked the hotel without checking the location, and when I arrived, it was nowhere near the city center.
  3. When you travel alone, you learn pretty quickly whether you actually like your own company.
📚 Education
  1. The teacher explained the concept three times, and I still didn't get it until when she used a real-world example.
  2. My son asked me for help with his homework, and when I tried to explain it, I realized I'd forgotten everything.
  3. When students actually care about the subject, the whole classroom energy changes.
❤️ Relationships
  1. I knew something was wrong when he stopped making jokes about the little things.
  2. When she finally told me what was bothering her, I felt terrible for not asking sooner.
  3. We laughed harder than we had in months when we ran into our old friends completely by accident.
📰 News / Politics
  1. The story broke when the journalist released the documents, and suddenly everyone was talking about it.
  2. Polling numbers shift dramatically when a major scandal surfaces, but the effect usually fades within weeks.
  3. When the government announced the new policy, environmental groups immediately filed a lawsuit.
💻 Technology
  1. The app crashed right when I was about to submit my payment, which was incredibly frustrating.
  2. I realized how dependent I'd become on my phone when I left it at home for a day.
  3. When AI tools first became available, everyone was either terrified or obsessed — there was no middle ground.
📝 Formal Writing
  1. The study demonstrates that productivity increases significantly when employees have flexible work arrangements.
  2. When examining the data longitudinally, researchers observed a consistent pattern of decline across all measured variables.
  3. The legislation was enacted when public pressure reached a critical threshold, though implementation has faced considerable delays.

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