HSK 2

……的时候

…… de shíhou

the time when …

Structure

[Noun / Verb / Phrase] + 的时候

How it works

This structure is used to indicate the time when an action occurs or a state exists, similar to 'when' or 'during' in English. It can be preceded by a noun, an adjective, or a full verb phrase to specify a timeframe.

Examples

我吃饭的时候不看电视。

Wǒ chīfàn de shíhou bú kàn diànshì.

I don't watch TV when I am eating.

老师说话的时候要认真听。

Lǎoshī shuōhuà de shíhou yào rènzhēn tīng.

Listen carefully when the teacher is speaking.

天气热的时候，我喜欢游泳。

Tiānqì rè de shíhou, wǒ xǐhuān yóuyǒng.

When the weather is hot, I like swimming.

Common mistakes

English speakers often try to use '当' (dāng) at the start of the sentence to mean 'when', but in Chinese, '的时候' placed after the time/action is the most natural way to express this.

Tip

If you want to say 'when I was young' or 'when I was a child', the structure remains the same: '小的时候' (xiǎo de shíhou) or '孩子的时候' (háizi de shíhou).

More HSK 2 grammar

要最几十几几十 V不V or A不A 是不是……？每 M N (都) V

See ……的时候 in real Chinese

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