when the time comes
83
2.9
- idiom
:
cuando llegue el momento
- And she had to know them all by heart when the time came.
We're going to discuss that when the time comes.
- We're going to discuss that when the time comes.
- I want to be buried over here when the time comes.
- That's why I always work ahead, so that I don't get stuck when the time comes.
- Ascendant power was within Shike's grasp, and she knew she would use it when the time came.
- What he wants you to be is be ready, be present, be prepared so that you can receive it when the time comes.
- He could not sustain an when the time came for intercourse.
- I will give seeds away on our seed store responsibly when the time comes.
- My, my view is that the ACN would be truly integrated when the time comes that all Member states share certain common values.
Examples
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When the time comes, you will know.
-
You build up points, and when the time comes, you cash 'em in.
Fiction book (2000) -
And yet when the time came, I could do nothing to help him.
-
I just hope you can find your faith when the time comes.
-
Then when the time came for him to do something, he made his move.
-
He'll be glad to take care of everything when the time comes.
Fiction book (1999) -
"I'll let you know when the time comes," she said.
Fiction book (1999) -
When the time comes, you will find out.
-
When the time comes, boy, I will send you to join your mother and your father.
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I promise to be by your side when the time comes.
Synonyms
16
3.2
Happen at the right time, neither too late nor too early
13
3.4
Something happens at the right time
12
3.5
At the right time after some waiting
1
4.6
A good time to take action or make a change
1
4.4
It happens at the right time
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'at the appropriate or necessary moment' is directly and compositionally derived from 'when' (timing) + 'the time' (the particular moment) + 'comes' (arrives/occurs). This is a literal temporal construction common cross-linguistically and follows standard English clause patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should be able to understand it.
Etymology
When the time comes uses a simple picture: imagine a clock reaching the right hour and the time comes. So, it means 'at the right or needed moment', and you should wait until that moment to act.