"WH Questions" en Inglés: uso de "when"

Understanding "when" questions in English is essential for communicating effectively about time and dates. These questions allow us to obtain specific information about when events, activities or situations occur, being an essential tool for everyday communication in English.

How to use "when" to ask about time?

The use of "when" is essential when we need information related to time or dates. These types of questions are open-ended, meaning that they are not answered with a simple "yes" or "no", but require specific information.

When we use "when" with the verb "to be", the structure is quite simple:

1. We start with "when."
2. We continue with the verb "to be" (am, is, are).
3. Then we place the subject
4. We end with a question mark

Some practical examples are:

• When is the party? - It's tomorrow -When is your birthday?
• When is your birthday? - My birthday is on March 1 or It's on March 1
• When is your exam? - It's this afternoon o My exam is this afternoon

It is important to note that when answering about things (not people), we can use "it" to refer to the subject of the question. For example, when answering about a party, a birthday or an exam, we can say "it's..." because we are referring to objects or events, not people.

How to formulate "when" questions using other verbs?

We can also create "when" questions using verbs other than "to be". In these cases, the structure changes slightly:

1. We start with "when".
2. We follow with the auxiliary "do" or "does" (do for I, you, we, they; does for he, she, it).
3. Then we place the subject
4. Then the verb in its base form
5. The complement
6. We end with a question mark

Let's look at some examples:

• When does the movie start? - It starts in one hour -When do you have class?
• When do you have class? - I have class today
• When do you watch TV? - I watch TV at night -When do you watch TV?

It is important to remember that in questions, the main verb is always in its base form (not conjugated). For example, we say "When does he study?" and not "When does he studies?". However, in affirmative answers, we must conjugate the verb correctly: "He studies English in the morning".

What are the common mistakes when asking "when" questions?

When asking questions with "when", it is common to make some mistakes, especially related to the choice of the correct auxiliary. Let's look at an example:

To complete the question, "When ____ you eat lunch?", we have three options: do, are, does.

The correct answer is do, porque:

• We are using a verb other than "to be" (eat).
• The question is about "you" (tú/usted), so we use "do" and not "does" (which would be used with he, she, it)
• "Are" would be incorrect because it is part of the verb "to be" and here we are using "eat".

Therefore, the correct question is, "When do you eat lunch?"

Always remember that the choice between "do" and "does" depends on the subject of the question, not the complement. And that in questions with verbs other than "to be", we always need these auxiliaries.

When" questions are powerful tools for obtaining information about time and dates in English. Do you have any doubts about how to formulate these questions? Share your experiences or questions in the comments!