When… – de shíhou

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Grammar Point

…的时候 de shíhou

當代中文 Contemporary Chinese

的时候 de shíhou is a lot like the English word “when.” It tells us that something happens at a certain time or situation. To use it, just add it right after the word or phrase that names the time.

一 Sentence Structure

Time Word or Description + 的时候

Put 的时候 de shíhou right after the time word or the description of the situation.

我wǒ工作gōngzuò的时候de shíhou常常chángcháng喝hē咖啡kāfēi
I usually drink coffee when I work.
吃饭chīfàn的时候de shíhou不要búyào说话shuōhuà
Don’t talk when you are eating.
我wǒ小xiǎo(的)(de)时候shíhou想xiǎng当dāng外星人wàixīngrén
When I was little, I wanted to be an alien.
(This is true…)

二 The Description Can Also Be a Feeling

The part before 的时候 de shíhou doesn’t have to be a time word — it can also be a feeling or state, like “nervous” or “sad.” 的时候 de shíhou tells us “when you feel that way.”

你nǐ紧张jǐnzhāng的时候de shíhou会huì做zuò什么shénme？
What do you do when you feel nervous?
生气shēngqì的时候de shíhou不要búyào做zuò决定juédìng
Don’t make a decision when you’re angry.
难过nánguò的时候de shíhou就jiù哭kū出来chūlái吧ba
When you feel sad, just cry it out.

三 Where Is the Subject?

You may notice some sentences above have no subject like “you.” That’s because in Chinese, when you’re giving a suggestion or a command, it’s common to just leave the subject out.

你nǐ生气shēngqì的时候de shíhou不要búyào做zuò决定juédìng
Don’t make a decision when you are angry.
➡️ 生气shēngqì的时候de shíhou不要búyào做zuò决定juédìng
Don’t make a decision when you are
你nǐ吃饭chīfàn的时候de shíhou不要búyào说话shuōhuà
Don’t talk when you are eating.
➡️ 吃饭chīfàn的时候de shíhou不要búyào说话shuōhuà
Don’t talk when you are

四 Compare with English

In English, you can put “when…” either at the start of the sentence or after the comma:

When you are nervous, what do you do?
What do you do when you are nervous?

But in Chinese, 的时候 de shíhou acts like a time word, and it usually comes before the subject, or right after it. So:

你nǐ紧张jǐnzhāng的时候de shíhou会huì做zuò什么shénme？ ✅
What do you do when you are nervous? (subject first)
紧张jǐnzhāng的时候de shíhou你nǐ会huì做zuò什么shénme？ ✅
What do you do when you are nervous? (time phrase first)
你nǐ会huì做zuò什么shénme紧张jǐnzhāng的时候de shíhou？ ❌
This word order does not work in Chinese.

五 The Short Form: 时

In writing or formal situations, 的时候 de shíhou often gets shortened to just 时 shí.

开会kāihuì的时候de shíhou不要búyào聊天liáotiān
Full form: “Don’t chat during the meeting.”
开会kāihuì时shí不要búyào聊天liáotiān
Shortened form: “Don’t chat during the meeting.”
去年qùnián太太tàitai生日shēngrì时shí我wǒ做zuò了le个ge蛋糕dàngāo
I made a cake last year when it was my wife’s birthday.

六 Practice

Tap the words below in the right order to build the sentence, then check your answer. If it’s wrong, you can try again as many times as you like, or hit “Show answer” if you get stuck. Careful: some tiles are traps and are not needed!

Question 1 of 10

“I feel nervous when I take a test.”

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我wǒ考试kǎoshì的时候de shíhou会huì紧张jǐnzhāng

的时候 de shíhou already includes 的 de, so you don’t need a separate 的 de tile. And as Section 4 showed, the time phrase can come before or after the subject — 考试kǎoshì的时候de shíhou我wǒ会huì紧张jǐnzhāng works too.

“Don’t use your phone when you are driving.”

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开车kāichē的时候de shíhou不要búyào用yòng手机shǒujī

The subject is dropped here because this is a command, telling someone not to do something.

“When I was young, I lived in Taipei.”

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我wǒ年轻niánqīng的时候de shíhou住在zhùzài台北Táiběi

的时候 de shíhou comes right after the time expression, not 时 shí (which is only used in formal writing). No 了 le needed here — living somewhere isn’t a one-time completed action.

“When you feel tired, take a rest.”

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累lèi的时候de shíhou就jiù休息xiūxi

就 jiù (then) often shows up right after 的时候 de shíhou, connecting the situation to what you should do.

“What do you usually do when you are free?”

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你nǐ有空yǒukòng的时候de shíhou常常chángcháng做zuò什么shénme？

的时候 de shíhou follows the situation (being free), and the question word 什么 shénme comes at the end.

“In the meeting, please turn off your phone.” (spoken)

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开会kāihuì的时候de shíhou請qǐng关guān手机shǒujī

This is spoken, so the full 的时候 de shíhou is right — the short 时 shí form is for writing or formal talk.

“When my mom cooks, the whole house smells great.”

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妈妈māma做饭zuòfàn的时候de shíhou家里jiāli很hěn香xiāng

的时候 de shíhou follows the whole situation (mom cooking), then the rest of the sentence describes the result.

“When she smiles, she looks just like her sister.”

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她tā笑xiào的时候de shíhou很hěn像xiàng姐姐jiějie

The stative verb 笑 xiào (to smile) works just like an adjective here — put 的时候 de shíhou right after it.

“When I was in college, I learned Chinese.”

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我wǒ读dú大学dàxué的时候de shíhou学xué了le中文zhōngwén

的时候 de shíhou follows the time in your life (being in college), and the main action comes after. 了 le goes right after the verb 学 xué, before the object 中文 zhōngwén.

“Don’t cry when you say goodbye.” (a gentle suggestion, spoken)

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说shuō再见zàijiàn的时候de shíhou不要búyào哭kū

This is a suggestion, so the subject can be dropped, just like in the 生气shēngqì的时候de shíhou example.

Related Grammar

→Use 当 dāng (dāng) to express “when”HSK 2