When to will? That is the question.

Question

'When he will be five, he will be able to play that game.'
I am a native English speaker and have been living abroad for seventeen years; speaking less and less in my native tongue. A french-speaking friend came over today and she corrected me, in ENGLISH! She informed me of the 'never a future tense' after 'when' and I wasn't sure how to reply. Can someone please help me? I will be very grateful!

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

She's right. We normally use the present tense in the when-clauses expressing a truth condition to be satisfied at some point in time.

When he is five, he will be able to play this game.

Edit:
The reason it the testability of the statement "he is five."

Suppose his fifth birthday is next month, Then the statement "he is five" is false.
Suppose his fifth birthday was last week. Then the statement,"he is five" is true.

The test "Is he five?" is quite different from "Will he be five?" The latter is somewhat nonsensical when the child is six. And when he is four, it asks about a question of life and death.

CalifJim · Answer

Anonymousnever a future tense after 'when'

Your friend is right. No "will" or "would" in clauses that begin with "when", "before", "after", "until", and "if" and similar subordinating expressions. There are very few exceptions.

When he will be five, he will be able to play that game. Wrong!
When he is five, he will be able to play that game. Correct!

When you will get there, call me. Wrong!
When you get there, call me. Correct!

We can eat as soon as the roast will be done. Wrong!
We can eat as soon as the roast is done. Correct!

CJ

Henry74 · Answer

CalifJimThere are very few exceptions

If I'm not mistaken, one of those exceptions, with regard to 'when', is when the when-clause is not setting up a truth condition, but is functioning as a content clause.
For example, both the following seem possible to me, although with a substantial difference in meaning.

a) I will let you know when the package arrives.
b) I will let you know when the package will arrive.

Sentence a) means that at some point in the future the package you sent me will arrive, and I will notify you of its arrival as soon as that happens.
In b) 'when the package will arrive' could be paraphrased as 'the date of arrival of the package I sent you', which I happen to have forgotten at the moment, and I'll tell you later what it is.

Is this correct?

H.

CalifJim · Answer

Henry74Is this correct?

Exactly.

I can't guess when he will wave his arms around like that. It can happen at any time. It's a random brain signal.
I can't guess when he waves his arms around like that. It's so disturbing that it makes me lose my concentration.

CJ

When to will? That is the question.

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