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Nicholas Kobel Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Using 'will' in subordinate clause

So, a student of mine asked me a question and I can't seem to answer it.

Q: Why can't we use "will finish" instead of "have finished" in this sentence? I.E., why is sentence 1 wrong and 2 correct?

[1] When I will finish my degree, I would like to do a Ph.D.

vs

[2] When I have finished my degree, I would like to do a Ph.D.

Click
here
to see the picture I made to represent both sentences.

I think sentence 1 means, "Once it comes to the certainty that my degree will be completed, I would then, before my degree is finished, like to do a Ph.D."

And that sentence 2 means, "Once I have completely finished my degree, I would like to do a Ph.D."

Can you give me some grammar rules so I can explain to my students (Czech adults) why this is incorrect?

Thanks!
  

Top answer

A basic rule concerning the future tense, in other words the use of will and shall , is that those two auxiliaries are not used in temporal subordinate clauses . These are correct: When I see him , I'll talk to him. We'll discuss it after he comes .

— Cool Breeze

  • A basic rule concerning the future tense, in other words the use of will and shall , is that those two auxiliaries are not used in temporal subordinate clauses .
  • These are correct: When I see him , I'll talk to him.
  • We'll discuss it after he comes .
  • You must wash your hands before you have dinner .
  • You can often use other tenses than the present simple but will and shall are almost always wrong.
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1 Answers
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A basic rule concerning the future tense, in other words the use of will and shall, is that those two auxiliaries are not used in temporal subordinate clauses. These are correct:

When I see him, I'll talk to him.

We'll discuss it after he comes
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