Introduction
You already know 的时候 (de shíhou) after a time word — 周末的时候 (zhōumò de shíhou) at the weekend. The bigger use is putting a whole clause in front of it: 我学中文的时候 (wǒ xué Zhōngwén de shíhou) — when I'm studying Chinese. Anything with a subject and a verb can sit there.
Overview
Structure: (Subj.) + Verb / Adj. + 的时候 (de shíhou)，[Main clause]
| Pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Subj + V + O + 的时候 | 我学中文的时候，喜欢听音乐。(Wǒ xué Zhōngwén de shíhou, xǐhuan tīng yīnyuè.) | When I study Chinese I like music on. |
| Adj + 的时候 | 我小的时候 (wǒ xiǎo de shíhou) | when I was little |
| 正在 + V + 的时候 | 我正在吃饭的时候，他来了。(Wǒ zhèngzài chī fàn de shíhou, tā lái le.) | I was in the middle of eating when he arrived. |
| V + 的时候（no subject） | 吃饭的时候别说话。(Chī fàn de shíhou bié shuōhuà.) | Don't talk while eating. |
| ……以前 / 以后 | 吃饭以前 (chī fàn yǐqián) | before eating |
正在……的时候 (zhèngzài … de shíhou) is where one thing interrupts another:
- 我正在吃饭的时候，他来了。(Wǒ zhèngzài chī fàn de shíhou, tā lái le.) — I was eating when he turned up.
- The 正在 (zhèngzài) clause is the background; the short event in the second half is what actually happens.
- Without 正在, the two simply overlap: 我吃饭的时候看手机。(Wǒ chī fàn de shíhou kàn shǒujī.) — I look at my phone while eating.
- 的时候 (de shíhou)、以前 (yǐqián) and 以后 (yǐhòu) all attach the same way — at the end of the clause they belong to.
Examples
我学中文的时候，喜欢听音乐。
Wǒ xué Zhōngwén de shíhou, xǐhuan tīng yīnyuè.
When I study Chinese I like to have music on.
我正在吃饭的时候，他来了。
Wǒ zhèngzài chī fàn de shíhou, tā lái le.
I was in the middle of a meal when he arrived.
你不在的时候，有人找你。
Nǐ bú zài de shíhou, yǒu rén zhǎo nǐ.
Someone came looking for you while you were out.
我小的时候很喜欢画画。
Wǒ xiǎo de shíhou hěn xǐhuan huàhuà.
When I was little I loved drawing.
我第一次去中国的时候，一句中文也不会说。
Wǒ dì yī cì qù Zhōngguó de shíhou, yí jù Zhōngwén yě bú huì shuō.
The first time I went to China I couldn't say a word of Chinese.
下雨的时候，路上车很多。
Xià yǔ de shíhou, lùshang chē hěn duō.
When it rains there's a lot of traffic.
Usage Notes
- 的时候 (de shíhou) sits at the end of its clause. English puts "when" at the front, so the two languages are mirror images: ❌ 的时候我吃饭，他来了。
- The clause before 的时候 keeps ordinary word order, subject and all: 我第一次去中国的时候 (wǒ dì yī cì qù Zhōngguó de shíhou).
- 正在 (zhèngzài) marks the longer, background action. It can shorten to 在 (zài) with no change of meaning.
- 以前 (yǐqián) and 以后 (yǐhòu) replace 的时候 for "before" and "after": 吃饭以前 (chī fàn yǐqián)，下班以后 (xiàbān yǐhòu).
- 时候 (shíhou) carries a neutral tone on the second syllable — shíhou, not shíhòu.