English · Word Candidate

when

/ˈwɛn/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: whens

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

At what time? At which time? Upon which occasion or circumstance? Used to introduce direct or indirect questions about time.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Vào lúc nào, vào thời điểm nào

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adverb

Examples

When will they arrive?

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

At what time? At which time? Upon which occasion or circumstance? Used to introduce direct or indirect questions about time. — Used after a noun or noun phrase in isolation to express impatience with an anticipated future event.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Vào lúc nào, vào thời điểm nào

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

AdverbRegister: humorous

Examples

The site's all bugged. Fix when?

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

At (or as soon as) that time that; at the (or any and every) time that; if.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Vào thời điểm mà, nếu

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Conjunction

Examples

Pavlov's dogs salivate when [i.e. at any and every time that] they hear a bell.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

During the time that; at the time of the action of the following clause or participle phrase.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Trong khoảng thời gian mà

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Conjunction

Examples

They dream when [i.e. during the time that] they sleep.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “when” mean?

At what time? At which time? Upon which occasion or circumstance? Used to introduce direct or indirect questions about time.

Is “when” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.