Conjunctions of time are words that are used to connect two clausesNo definition set for clausesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. in time. In other words, they are used to show when an action takes place in relation to another event or action.
I will go to bed after I brush my teeth.
He needs to go to the shop before he comes home.
She sings while she showers.
This article will now show you how to use conjunctions of time in English effectively and explore some of the most important ones.
We use conjunctions of time to show how the times of two events are related.
He arrived while the sun was setting.
She brushed her hair after she washed it.
The main, or independent, clause describes the main event of the sentence.
I will walk the dog…
The other clause, the subordinate or dependent clause, begins with a conjunction of time and is used to describe the time when the main event happened.
…when I come home from work.
In a subordinate clause that begins with a conjunction of time, we never use the future tense with will. Instead, use the present tense:
❌ I will walk the dog when I will come home from work.
✅ I will walk the dog when I come home from work.
Have a look at our post on using the present tense to talk about the future in English to learn more!
The conjunction of time always introduces the subordinate clause, but the subordinate clause can come either before or after the main clause:
I will walk the dog when I come home from work.
When I come home from work, I will walk the dog.
If you begin an English sentence with a subordinate clause, put a comma at the end of it:
✅ After I go to the shops, I’ll make the dinner.
❌ After I go to the shops I’ll make the dinner.
Some of the most common and basic conjunctions of time in English are: after, before, when, while, as soon as, since, until, and whenever. Let’s explore each one!
The words before and after are opposites:
Before introduces an event that starts later than the action in the main clause. The main event is over when the subordinate clause happens.
I will clean the house before the guests arrive.
Before I washed the dishes, we ate the meal.
After introduces an event that starts and finishes earlier than the event in the main clause. The main clause is over when the subordinate clause happens.
The guests will arrive after I clean the house.
After we ate the meal, I washed the dishes.
The words before and after are also prepositions of time, so they can also come before a noun or noun phrase too. The meaning is the same!
The words while and when are both used to connect actions that happened at the same time.
I always listen to podcasts while I walk to work.
I had a dog when I was little.
However, there are some differences:
The main action happens entirely within the action after while.
While guests arrived, I cooked dinner.
I always listen to podcasts while I walk to work.
I was playing soccer while my mother left for work.
The conjunction as has the same meaning as while, but as is slightly more formal:
While she was reading a book, her husband walked through the door.
= As she was reading a book, her husband walked through the door.
When, however, comes before an action that we consider to be a moment in time. This moment overlaps with the main event, and acts as a “reference point.”
An action after when is something you would point to on a timeline with one finger.
However, the two events can “overlap” in a number of ways:
The action after when marks the start of the main event.
When guests arrived, I cooked dinner.
Usually you will see this when the main clause is simple tenses or perfect tenses.
The action after when interrupts the main event.
When my mother left for work, I was playing soccer.
Usually you will see this when the main clause is in a continuous tense (especially the past continuous).
The action after when can last for the whole duration of the main event.
When I was little, I had a dog.
Usually you will see this when the subordinate clause is a stative verb or sometimes in a continuous tense.
The action after when triggers (or causes) the main event, every time it happens.
When I walk to work, I listen to podcasts.
This use of when is technically a shortening of the conjunction whenever. Usually you will see this when the main clause talks about a habit, so the main clause is most often in the present simple.
It is rare to use whenbefore continuous tenses:
❌ I am listening to music when I am cleaning.
✅ I am listening to music while I am cleaning.
The one exception is when we are discussing habits:
✅ I listen to music when I am cleaning.
As soon as introduces an event that allows another event to start, so the action after as soon as takes place immediately before that other event.
I will wash the dishes as soon as I finish eating.
As soon as her homework was finished, she called Jill.
The conjunctions once and when can be synonyms for as soon as.
I will begin the work again as soon as I’ve had my tea break.
= I will begin the work again once I’ve had my tea break.
= I will begin the work again when I’ve had my tea break.
Since is used to talk about the amount of time between one event and another. Since comes before the event at the beginning, and the main clause talks about what happened in the time period between the first event and “now.”
Paul has been sad since his friend moved away.
We mostly use the conjunction since when the main clause has a verb in a perfect tense (or a perfect continuous tense):
Margot has worked here since she moved to the city.
Paul had not cleaned since he moved into the house.
He has been cleaning since he woke up.
She had not been concentrating since she had sat down in class.
We talk a lot about how to use since with perfect tenses in our post on the present perfect in English!
However, since can even be used with other tenses as well:
Since I started exercising, I feel much healthier.
I am feeling much healthier since I started exercising.
Sincedoes not always refer to time. It can also be a synonym of because.
Since you’re not doing much work, do you want to help me with this?
= Because you’re not doing much work…
Have a look at our post on clauses of reason, purpose, and result in English to learn more!
Until introduces an action that stops the main event:
Sandra cooked the onions until they turned brown.
I will stay awake until I have finished my homework.
Until he leaves, I cannot rest.
Native speakers will often say till / ’til rather than until, but in writing until is more common.
We’ll be driving till / ’til the sun sets.
Whenever comes before an action that happens repeatedly and that causes the main event every time it happens.
I go to the gym whenever I get a chance.
Whenever she sees a cat, she is so happy.
Usually you can replace whenever with when.
I go to the gym whenever I get a chance.
= I go to the gym when I get a chance.
The word then is not a conjunction, but is instead another type of word called a conjunctive adverb. However, this word is also often used to talk about the time relationship between two clauses.
We use then to mark the event that happened later in a story. Most often, when you use then to connect two clauses, you will use it after a coordinating conjunction like and or but:
Paula went to the gym, and then she went to the grocery store.
Margot got halfway to school, but then she remembered that she’d forgotten her lunch.
However, you can also delete the coordinating conjunction and just use the word then.
Paula went to the gym, then she went to the grocery store.
Margot got halfway to school, then she remembered that she’d forgotten her lunch.
But because then is a conjunctive adverb and not a conjunction of time, there are two rules you must follow:
The clause that starts with then cannot start the sentence:
❌ Then Paula went to the grocery store, she went to the gym.
When writing, there must be a comma between the two clauses:
✅ Paula went to the gym, (and) then she went to the grocery store.
❌ Paula went to the gym then she went to the grocery store.
Conjunctions of time and prepositions of time are both used to help describe when something happened, and many conjunctions of time are also prepositions of time. However, there is a difference:
Conjunctions of time come before a clause (with a subject and a verb):
I can’t wait until he arrives!
I have been studying French since I started attending my local college.
Prepositions of time come before a nounNo definition set for nounLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.:
I can't wait until dinner!
I have been studying French since last summer.
Though many conjunctions of time are also prepositions of time, some are only conjunctions or only prepositions, so be careful not to get them confused! For example:
When is a conjunction of time, but not a preposition of time:
✅ She sang when it was dinner time.
❌ She sang when dinner time.
At is a preposition of time, but not a conjunction of time:
✅ She was singing at noon.
❌ She was singing at the bus arrived.
Check out our article on English prepositions of time to go deeper on this topic and the differences.
In this article, we have learned more about conjunctions of time. We have explored how:
Conjunctions of time are words that connect two actions or events and show the time relationship between them.
Conjunctions of time always come before subordinate clauses, but the subordinate clause can come at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence.
After, before, when, while, as soon as, since, until, and whenever are the most basic conjunctions of time.
Then is a conjunctive adverb that we use between clauses in English, but it is not a conjunction.
Many conjunctions of time can also be prepositions of time, but not all! The conjunctions when, while, as soon as, and whenever only come before clauses!
Now let’s put the knowledge into practice. We have some useful English conjunctions of time activities for you to try out. Or, if you’d rather start studying, check out this downloadable English conjunctions of time reference sheet.
