Skip to main content
when it comes to

when it comes to

680 3.1
A phrase you use to talk about a topic and show how someone or something is treated
  • idiom
translation icon : cuando se trata de
  • Confidence is key when it comes to your relationships.
  • particularly when it comes to
  • especially when it comes to
  • when it comes to issues

I won't put up with it when it comes to my kids.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Well, I have such good taste in everything, except when it comes to the men I marry.

  • What is your biggest pet peeve when it comes to living with me?

  • So keep that in mind when it comes to China.

  • What we're really interested in, though, when it comes to sleep is dreams.

  • But when it comes to money, things get funny.

  • There is no single "right" choice when it comes to our various energy options.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Here is the truth when it comes to the Ford Motor Company.

  • Community colleges are perhaps in the lead when it comes to assessment and placement of students.

    Academic text (1991)
  • I would call myself a pragmatist when it comes to social media.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Confidence is key when it comes to improving your relationships.

Synonyms

vis-à-vis
vswhen it comes to
  • Formal
7 7.1

About or compared with

is used to introduce how someone or something is treated in a context
concerning
vswhen it comes to
1.0

About a subject

is used to introduce how someone or something is treated in a context
regarding
vswhen it comes to
1.0

About a particular subject

focuses instead on how someone or something is treated in context

Surface Forms

Morphology

when + it + come + to

The literal parts ('when' + 'it' + 'comes' + 'to') do point to the sense of something 'arriving at' or 'relating to' a topic, so learners who know 'come' = 'arrive at a state or relation' can often infer the meaning. However, the phrase is grammaticalized as a discourse marker meaning 'regarding' or 'with respect to', so its pragmatic use is partly conventionalized and not entirely predictable from the words alone.

Etymology

When it comes to helps you imagine someone coming to a topic, like walking up to a table and pointing at one thing. So, it is used to introduce the 'subject' or to say how someone or something is treated in that area.