| Principales traductions |
| when adv | (at what time?) | quand adv |
| | When did she leave work? At three o'clock? |
| | Quand est-elle partie du bureau ? À trois heures ? |
| when adv | (at which time?) | à quelle heure adv |
| | When did she leave? Was it at four or five PM? |
| | À quelle heure est-elle partie ? À quatre heures ou à cinq heures ? |
| when adv | (how soon?) | quand adv |
| | | dans combien de temps adv |
| | (plus précis) | à quelle heure adv |
| | When can you leave? |
| | Quand veux-tu partir ? |
| | Dans combien de temps peux-tu partir ? |
| | À quelle heure peux-tu partir ? |
| when adv | (how long ago?) | quand adv |
| | When did she leave? Twenty minutes ago? |
| | Quand est-elle partie ? Il y a vingt minutes ? |
| when conj | (if) (condition) | quand adv |
| | | lorsque adv |
| | When it rains, all traffic stops. |
| | Quand il pleut, la circulation s'arrête. |
| | Lorsqu'il pleut, la circulation s'arrête. |
| when conj | (whereas) (opposition) | alors que conj |
| | What are you doing in Madrid when you are supposed to be in Paris? |
| | Que fais-tu à Madrid alors que tu es censé être à Paris ? |
| when conj | (at the point in time that) | au moment où adv |
| | | quand adv |
| | This was all happening when he suddenly arrived home. |
| | Cela s'est produit au moment où il est rentré à la maison. |
| | Cela s'est produit quand il est rentré à la maison. |
Formes composées
|
| at the time when adv | (during that period) | à l'époque où, du temps où loc conj |
| | At the time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, there was no human life. |
| | À l'époque où les dinosaures régnaient, il n'y avait pas d'Hommes. |
| | | à l'époque de [qch], du temps de [qch] loc prép |
| | À l'époque des dinosaures, il n'y avait pas d'Hommes. |
| back when adv | (at a time in the past when) | à l'époque où conj |
| | Back when I was a boy, there was no such thing as Nintendo Wii. |
| | | quand conj |
| | Quand j'étais petit, il n'y avait pas de Nintendo Wii. |
cross that bridge when you come to it,
cross that bridge when you get to it v expr | (deal with [sth] when necessary) | voir le moment venu loc v |
| | Don't worry about that for now; let's cross that bridge when we come to it. |
| if and when expr | (possibly in the future) | quand, lorsque conj |
| | I'll start celebrating if and when we manage to sell the house. |
inquire whether/when/how,
enquire whether/when/how vtr | formal (with clause: ask) | demander⇒ vtr |
| | (soutenu) | s'enquérir de v pron + prép |
| | Fred inquired whether Larry had time to help him move this weekend. |
| | Lucie enquired when the next train for King's Cross departed. |
| | Fred a demandé si Larry avait le temps de l'aider à déménager ce week-end. // Lucie a demandé quand le prochain train pour King's Cross partirait. |
inquire as to whether/when/how/who/what,
enquire as to whether/when/how/who/what vtr | formal (with clause: ask) | demander si/quand/comment/qui/ce que vtr + conj |
| | I am writing to inquire as to whether your company has any vacancies. |
| instruct [sb] that/when/where⇒ vtr | (with clause: inform [sb]) | informer [qqn] que/de quand/d'où... loc v |
| | The officials were instructed that their duties included ensuring health and safety rules were adhered to. |
| no matter when adv | (at whatever time) | n'importe quand |
| | You can always phone me, no matter when. |
| | Tu peux toujours m'appeler, n'importe quand. |
| no matter when expr | (with clause: regardless of when) | quel que soit le moment où, qu'importe le moment où, peu importe le moment où |
| | No matter when I go, there always seems to be a long queue. |
| | Quel que soit le moment où j'y vais, il y a toujours la queue. |
| only when necessary adv | (strictly as required) | seulement si nécessaire loc adv |
| | You must take the pain killers only when necessary. |
| | | uniquement en cas de besoin loc adv |
pigs might fly,
pigs can fly,
when pigs fly expr | (that will never happen) (familier) | on y croit expr |
| | | when pigs fly : quand les poules auront des dents expr |
| Say when! interj | informal (indicate [sth] is enough) (familier) | Tu me dis "stop" !, Vous me dites "stop" ! |
| | As the hostess began to pour wine into her guest's glass, she cried, "Say when!" |
| Since when? interj | informal, expressing surprise (for how long?) | Depuis quand ? expr |
| | Ned and Ellie are going out? Since when? |
| | Ned et Ellie sortent ensemble ? Depuis quand ? |
| since when expr | informal, expressing disapproval (how long ...?) | depuis quand expr |
| | Since when have you been in charge? Stop telling me what to do! |
| | Depuis quand c'est toi le patron ? Arrête de me dire quoi faire ! |
| since when expr | (from that time) | période depuis laquelle... expr |
| | Olivia joined the company two years ago, since when she has instigated several major changes. |
| when all is said and done adv | informal (ultimately) | en fin de compte loc adv |
| | When all's said and done, you've no right to an opinion on this. |
| | | au bout du compte loc adv |
| | | en définitive loc adv |
| when else conj | (at what other time) | quand conj |
| | | à quel autre moment conj |
| | If you can't see me today, I don't know when else we'll be able to get together. |
| when else adv | (at another time) | quand adv |
| | | à quel autre moment adv |
| | If not now, when else? |
| | Si ce n'est pas maintenant, alors quand ? |
| | Si ce n'est pas maintenant, alors à quel autre moment ? |
When in Rome ...,
When in Rome,
do as the Romans do expr | (act according to local customs) | À Rome, fais comme les Romains expr |
| when it comes down to it expr | (when push comes to shove) | en fin de compte loc adv |
| when it comes to [sth] expr | (with regard to) | quand il s'agit de (faire) [qch] |
| | | en matière de [qch] |
| | I love to read, but I have trouble when it comes to studying science. |
| | J'adore lire, mais j'ai du mal quand il s'agit d'étudier la science. |
| when push comes to shove expr | (when things become difficult) | le moment venu expr |
| | | quand il le faut expr |
| when the chips are down adv | informal, figurative (in a difficult situation) | dans les moments difficiles loc adv |
| | | quand ça se gâte |
| | When the chips are down, are you brave enough to keep going? |
| | Quand ça va se gâter, sauras-tu faire face ? |
when the dust settles,
once the dust settles,
after the dust settles expr | figurative (when the situation calms down) | quand les choses se seront tassées expr |
| | | quant (tout) ça se sera décanté expr |
when the dust has settled,
once the dust has settled,
after the dust has settled expr | figurative (when the situation calms down) | quand les choses se seront tassées expr |
| | | quant (tout) ça se sera décanté expr |
| when the s*** hits the fan expr | vulgar, offensive, informal (when disturbing facts become public) (affaire : familier) | Quand ça pétera à la gueule (de [qqn]) |
| | (situation : vulgaire) | Quand ça partira en couille |
| | (situation : familier) | Quand ça partira en sucette, Quand ça partira en cacahouète |
| when your ship comes in expr | figurative (when you are rich or successful) | quand j'aurai réussi expr |
When's it due?,
When is the baby due? expr | (expected birth date) | C'est pour quand ? expr |
| | (moins familier) | C'est prévu pour quand ? expr |
| | Congratulations on your pregnancy! When's it due? |
| | Toutes mes félicitations pour le bébé ! C'est pour quand ? |