How To Use the Spanish ‘Cuando’

The Spanish word cuando  usually the equivalent of the English when, although its use is far more versatile than the English word. It can serve as a preposition, conjunction, or adverb, and it frequently is used in situations where when doesnt work as a translation. Cuando as a Conjunction Cuando is used most often as a conjunction, a type of word that in this case connects two clauses, a sentence-like statement that includes a subject (which may be implied) and a verb. Although the conjunction cuando can often be translated as when, cuando doesnt always indicate that a time element is at play. In those situations, context sometimes makes it better to think of cuando as meaning a condition such as if or since. Here are some examples of cuando meaning when: Siempre voy al mercado cuando estoy en la ciudad. (I always go to the market when I am in the city. Here cuando joins the two clauses siempre voy al mercado and estoy en la ciudad.)Su padre era drogadicto cuando ella era una nià ±a. (Her father was a drug addict when she was a girl. Cuando joins su padre era drogadicto and ella era una nià ±a.)Cuando llegà ³ al aeropuerto me puse en la fila equivocada. (When I arrived at the airport, I got in the wrong line. As this sentence shows, a conjunction can link two clauses even when it comes at the beginning of the sentence rather than between the clauses.) If the action of the verb after cuando took place in the past, is ongoing, or takes place in the present, the verb is in the indicative mood. But if it takes place in the future, the subjunctive is used. Note the difference between these two sentences. Cuando la veo, siempre me siento feliz. (When I see her, I always feel happy. The action of siento is ongoing, so it is in the indicative mood.)Cuando la veo maà ±ana, me sienta feliz. (When I see her tomorrow, I will feel happy. The action of the verb happens tomorrow, so the subjunctive mood is used.) Here are examples of where a translation other than when might be used for cuando: Vamos a salir cuando està © tarde. (We are going to leave if he is late. Depending on the context, this sentence doesnt necessarily suggest that the person will be late.)Cuando brilla el Sol, podemos ir a la playa. (Since the sun is shining, we can go to the beach. Since works better than when in translation if it is known to the speaker and listener that the sun is shining.) Cuando as an Adverb When it appears in questions before a verb, cuà ¡ndo functions as an adverb and receives an orthographic accent.  ¿Cuà ¡ndo vienes? (When are you coming?) ¿Cuà ¡ndo van a llegar al hotel? (When will they are arrive at the hotel? ¿Cuà ¡ndo compraron el coche? (When did they buy a car?)No sà © cuà ¡ndo se resolverà ¡ mi futuro. (I dont known when my future will be determined. This is an example of an indirect question.) Cuando also functions as an adverb when it follows a form of ser. When is almost always a suitable translation. Era cuando yo estaba mà ¡s vulnerable. (It was when I was most vulnerable.)Mi mentira favorita era cuando me decà ­as, te amo. (My favorite lie was when you told me, I love you.)La parte difà ­cil es cuando se tienen cuatro o cinco actores en la misma escena. (The difficult part is when there are four or five actors in the same scene.) Cuando as a Preposition When used as a preposition, cuando can often be translated as during or at the time of. Often the sentence using cuando  in this way cannot be translated word for word but must be loosely translated to indicate that something happened during the time of the prepositional object. Some examples: La escribià ³Ã‚  cuando  estudiante. (She wrote it when she was a student. Note that there are no words in Spanish that directly say she was, but that meaning is implied. A word-for-word translation would be when student, but that doesnt make sense.)Asà ­Ã‚  fue  cuando  la Revolucià ³n Francesa.  (Thats how it was during the French Revolution.)Cuando las  inundaciones  yo era muy chica. (At the time of the  floods  I was very young.)Yo era enfermizo cuando muchacho con asma, (As a  boy  with asthma I was sickly.) Key Takeaways Although cuando can be thought of as the Spanish word for when, it can also be used in other ways.A common use of cuando is as a conjunction combining two clauses.When cuà ¡ndo means when as an interrogative adverb in a question, the first syllable receives an accent mark.