2025-10-31
4 分钟Which of these sentences would you say, when I go there,
I'll do that, or when I will go there, I'll do that?
Many English learners would say this second sentence, but it's not correct.
In this episode, I'm going to help you understand why.
By the way, if you want my help to understand when people speak English fast,
click on the link in the description below this episode to sign up for my listening training.
Also, the transcript for this episode is down there as well.
Okay, why is it wrong to say when I will go there?
Well, in English, when we start a clause with the word when like this,
we don't use the future verb tense, even though we're talking about the future.
We don't say when they will arrive or when I will finish.
We just use the present tense.
We say, when they arrive or when I finish.
But you might wonder how we know that the person is talking about something in the future
if they use the present tense after the word when.
Because, for example, we could also say, when I finish my dinner, I always eat dessert.
In this sentence, I'm not talking about something in the future.
I'm talking about a habit that I have.
In this sentence, I say, when I finish, just like I would if I were talking about the future.
Like, when I finish my dinner, I'll help you with your homework.