While vs when

Question

Hi again Could you tell me what is the difference between "while" and "when"? Can I use them interchangeably, e.g "While/While I was in Italy I went to see Alessandro."Thank you.

Cool Breeze · Accepted Answer

MagdaHi again
Could you tell me what is the difference between "while" and "when"? Can I use them interchangeably, e.g "While/While I was in Italy I went to see Alessandro."

Thank you.

Hi Magda

You can choose either one of your whiles.More seriously, while is often used to refer to long-lasting action:

The phone rang while/when I was taking a bath. But:
I bumped into an old friend when I turned a corner. ( It doesn't take you a long time to turn a corner.)

Cheers
CB

Teo · Answer

*While I went out, it was raining. -- unacceptable

When I went out, it was raining. -- acceptable

While it was raining, I went out. -- acceptable

When it was raining, I went out. – also acceptable

?While it was raining, I was going out. -- questionable

?When it was raining, I was going out.-- questionable

Comments:

While and when are very often used in sentences that have both the past

progressive and simple past tenses. When this happens, while refers only to a

(comparatively) long action, but when can refer to either a (comparatively)

long or short action. In these situations, the short action interrupts the long

action (which began before the short action happened).

In the first example, went out is a shorter action than was raining, so when

should be used, not while.

In the third and fourth examples, both while and when are possible, since when

can refer to both (comparatively) long actions and (comparatively) short

ones and while is appropriate with (comparatively) long actions only.

The last two examples are grammatical, but probably not logical. They mean

that for the entire period of time that it was raining, you were going out.

It's much more logical that "go out" is short, while "rain" is long. For that

reason, having two past progressive verbs doesn't seem logical.

Dennis Oliver

Estrella Mountain Community College

Avondale, Arizona U.S.A.

They can have the same meaning if one or both of the actions is/are long.

However, if both actions are short, we use "when."

e.g. When/While I was eating dinner, I was watching TV.

When/While I was watching TV, I threw up!

When I threw up, I dropped my fork.

I hope this helps.

Mike

We prefer when to refer to ages and periods of life.

When I was a child we lived in London. -- acceptable

*While I was a child we lived in London. -- unacceptable

His parents died when he was twelve. -- acceptable

*His parents died while he was twelve. -- unacceptable

Michael Swan

Magda · Answer

Hejsan, Cool Breeze and thank you a lot <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

Magda · Answer

Teo, many thanks for your post!

Marius Hancu · Answer

Magda:

Your confusion seems to stem from the fact that you seem to assume that
when=at
when in effect it can also mean:
when=while, during that time
as shown at 1 here:
------------

when

Function: conjunction

1 a : at or during the time that : WHILE<on one occasion, when a boy, I went fishing with three other boys -- W.J.Reilly> <I could not say "Amen!" when they did say "*** bless us!" -- Shakespeare> b : just after the moment that <please stop writing when the bell rings> <went back to his old job when the war ended> c : at any and every time that <when he listens to music, he falls asleep>

-----------

Magda · Answer

Thank you, Marious. My confusion is cleared up now <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>.

Cool Breeze · Answer

Marius HancuMagda:

Your confusion seems to stem from the fact that you seem to assume that
when=at
when in effect it can also mean:
when=while, during that time

Hi Marius

This is really none of my business but in Magda's native language (at least I assume that Swedish is her native language) there is a conjuction that covers the temporal meanings of both when and while. The word is när, and incidentally in my mother tongue (Finnish) there is a similar word (kun). Understandably, there may be problems when we have to choose between two English words even though we can manage with just one in our own languages.

Cheers
CB

Magda · Answer

Cool Breeze
Marius HancuMagda:

Your confusion seems to stem from the fact that you seem to assume that
when=at
when in effect it can also mean:
when=while, during that time

Hi Marius

This is really none of my business but in Magda's native language (at least I assume that Swedish is her native language) there is a conjuction that covers the temporal meanings of both when and while. The word is när, and incidentally in my mother tongue (Finnish) there is a similar word (kun). Understandably, there may be problems when we have to choose between two English words even though we can manage with just one in our own languages.

Hi Cool Breeze

that's why I find the usage while/when sometimes problematic.
I wish I could speak English as you do!

Best regards,
Magda

Marius Hancu · Answer

Well, in short, in English:
at: a point in time
while, during: a duration, interval in time

Philip · Answer

0 01blockquote

01cite10Cool Breeze12cite11blockquote
11cite20Marius Hancu22cite20Magda:22br
22br
20Your confusion seems to stem from the fact that you seem to assume that22br
21i20when=at22i22br
20when in effect it can 21b20also22b20 mean:22br
21i20when=21font20while, during that time22font22i22br
22br
22blockquote
20Hi Marius12br
12br
10This is really none of my business but in Magda's native language (at least I assume that Swedish is her native language) there is a conjuction that covers the temporal meanings of both 11i10when12i10 and 11i10while12i10. The word is 11i10när12i10, and incidentally in my mother tongue (Finnish) there is a similar word 10(11i10kun12i10).10 Understandably, there may be problems when we have to choose between two English words even though we can manage with just one in our own languages.12br
12br
10Cheers12br
10CB12br
12blockquote

11font00Is this a word or a suffix? I ask because in Turkish [many linguists consider Turkish and Finnish distant relatives] there is a suffix "ken" which gives much the same idea. 02font00 0-

While vs when

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