WHEN with which tense??? CONFUSED PLEASE HELP

Question

Could you tell me which of these you would say please?

1 I called you right when you were calling me.

2 I called you right when you called me.

3 I was calling you right when you called me.

4 I was calling you right when you were calling me.

Which could one say?

1 I started to speak right when he was finished speaking. (Is FINISHED an ADJ?)

2 I started to speak right when he finished speaking. (Is FINISHED a VERB?)

3 I started to speak right when he was finishing.

1 I hope the train is pulling in when I arrive./when I’m arriving.
2 I hope the trains pulls in when I arrive/I’m arriving.

Thank you

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

Could you tell me which of these you would say please?

1 I called you right when you were calling me.

2 I called you right when you called me.

3 I was calling you right when you called me.

4 I was calling you right when you were calling me. <<< I'd say this one.

Which could one say?

1 I started to speak right when he was finished speaking. (Is FINISHED an ADJ? No. A verb.)

2 I started to speak right when he finished speaking. (Is FINISHED a VERB? Yes.)

3 I started to speak right when he was finishing.
These are all a little off. You need this:

I started to speak just as he [finished / was finishing] (speaking).
If you use finished, then he stopped before you started.
If you use was finishing, then he had not completely stopped before you started. You may have interrupted his last few words.

1 I hope the train is pulling in when I arrive./when I’m arriving. [You could say

2 I hope the trains pulls in when I arrive/I’m arriving. any of these.]
One of these has a slightly different meaning when compared to the others.
I hope the train pulls in when I arrive suggests that I arrive first and then, almost immediately after I arrive, the train pulls in. All of the other three versions suggest more of an overlap between the two events (because all of the other three have at least one clause with the progressive).

CJ

Alc24 · Answer

Thank you CJ,

I'm kind of confused.

First of all, for the first batch:

You'd say 4 but are the other 3 OK?
---------------------

For the second batch:

What's the difference between WAS FINISHED and WAS FINISHING if one isn't an ADJ?
I am done DONE is an ADJ, so why isn't FINISHED an adj in the first sentence?

So basically RIGHT WHEN doesn't work at all? could people say that, or does it have to be JUST AS
--------------------

For the third batch:
I'd say both but with WHEN I ARRIVE

When would you use
I hope the train is pulling in when I’m arriving.

I hope the train pulls in when I’m arriving.

--------------------

And one last thing: How would you say this sentence please?

- When you saw me at work, that was the beginning when I only worked day shifts. Now I work the night shift.

- That was the beginning when I only worked day shifts. Now I work the night shift when you saw me at work.

Thank you

CalifJim · Answer

alc24You'd say 4 but are the other 3 OK?

They are "OK" but not great. The second one seems particularly strange to my ear, probably because neither clause has an -ing tense and you're trying to express an idea of things happening at the same time.

alc24What's the difference between WAS FINISHED and WAS FINISHING if one isn't an ADJ?
I am done DONE is an ADJ, so why isn't FINISHED an adj in the first sentence?

I think I read that one too fast. You're right. In was finished, finished is an adjective.

alc24So basically RIGHT WHEN doesn't work at all? could people say that, or does it have to be JUST AS

right when doesn't work for me, but it might work for others. If you said it, everybody would accept it and understand it. I suppose it's not that it's so bad but that it's not the best possible choice (to my ear).

alc24When would you use

I hope the train is pulling in when I’m arriving.

I hope the train pulls in when I’m arriving.

I rarely use the expression "pull in" so I personally wouldn't use any of those sentences in that group. But supposing I were to use "pull in" I would use those to say that I hope that the train's arrival coincides with my arrival -- the same meaning as the others in that group. In these sentences I would take "when" to mean "as", and I think I would in fact use "as" instead of "when" if they were my sentences to display for analysis.

alc24And one last thing: How would you say this sentence please?

- When you saw me at work, that was the beginning when I only worked day shifts. Now I work the night shift.

- That was the beginning when I only worked day shifts. Now I work the night shift when you saw me at work.

The first is much more readable. I like it just fine. Moving "when you saw me at work" to the end really spoils it, in my opinion. I can't believe you would even say "Now I work the night shift (present) when you sawme (past) at work" in your own native language.

CJ

Brightbilly · Answer

I was working day shift when you first noticed me, since then I've been working the night shift.

CalifJim · Answer

brightbillyI was working day shift when you first noticed me, since then I've been working the night shift.

This contains the mistake known as a "comma splice". You would do better to split it into two sentences.

CJ

Alc24 · Answer

I hope the train is pulling in when I’m arriving.

I hope the train pulls in when I’m arriving.
”

I rarely use the expression "pull in" so I personally wouldn't use any of those sentences in that group. But supposing I were to use "pull in" I would use those to say that I hope that the train's arrival coincides with my arrival -- the same meaning as the others in that group. In these sentences I would take "when" to mean "as", and I think I would in fact use "as" instead of "when" if they were my sentences to display for analysis.

I read the above and I understood this.

If you were to use the sentences
you'd say:

I hope the train is pulling in as I'm arriving.
I hope the train pulls in as I'm arriving.

Isn't one of them a bit off?

and if I were to use when?? would the when clause be in the simple tense and not the continuous "when I arrive" or "when I'm arriving"

Which would you say?

I hope the train is pulling in when I’m arriving.

I hope the train pulls in when I’m arriving.
I hope the train is pulling in when I’m arrive.
I hope the train pulls in when I’m arrive.

If you substitute it:

or any other example; which of these would you use?

I hope you are yelling at him when I'm arriving
I hope you yell at him when I'm arriving
I hope you are yelling at him when I arrive.
I hope you yell at him when I'm arrive.

Thank you

Philip · Answer

I hope you are yelling at him when I arrive.

This is the correct one of the last four sentences.

Alc24 · Answer

Thank you Philip

question; CJ said that he would use AS instead of WHEN in the Pulling in question

THe 4 sentences above which would you say and would you put AS?

THank you

Alc24 · Answer

I have one thing to say:

1 I hope the train is pulling in when I arrive./when I’m arriving.

2 I hope the trains pulls in when I arrive/I’m arriving.

For some reason in the above sentence, the two sentences that make sense are
I hope the train pulls in when I arrive.
I hope the train is pilling in when I arrive.

But in the following example the other choices would be acceptable I think.

The train pulls in when I eat.
The train is pulling in when I'm eating.
The train pulls in when I'm eating.

These 3 sound good to me.

The following doesn't seem correct:
The train is pulling in when I eat.

Can you tell me what you think and if you can replace WHEN with AS in the bold sentences or would it be awkward.

Thank you so much

Alc24 · Answer

Hello CJ

I just saw that you would say

I was calling you right when you were calling me. <<< I'd say this one

Could you replace the RIGHT WHEN by "JUST AS you were calling me"

Doesn't at least one of these sound off?

I hope the train is pulling in when I arrive.

I hope the train is pulling in when I’m arriving.

I hope the train pulls in when I arrive
I hope the train pulls in when I'm arriving.

THank you CJ

WHEN with which tense??? CONFUSED PLEASE HELP

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