How to use "concurrently"

What Does "concurrently" Mean?

• Grammatical function: It is an adverb that expresses a temporal relationship of simultaneity. It indicates that two or more events, processes, or states exist or happen at the exact same time.
• Typical sentence position: Medial (between the subject and main verb or after an auxiliary verb) or final (at the end of a clause). It is occasionally used in the initial position to provide a transition between sentences.
• Register: Formal. It is most frequently found in academic, legal, technical, and journalistic writing.

How to Use It

• Syntactic patterns: It typically modifies a verb or an entire clause. It often follows the verb it modifies (e.g., "running concurrently") or appears between the auxiliary and the main verb (e.g., "were held concurrently").
• Punctuation rules: When used in the initial position as a conjunctive adverb, it is followed by a comma. In the medial or final positions, commas are generally not required unless the word is being used as a non-restrictive parenthetical element.
• Grammatical flexibility: It can start a sentence to link ideas, be moved within a sentence for emphasis, and can be negated (e.g., "not concurrently").
• What sounds unnatural or incorrect: Using it in casual, everyday conversation (e.g., "I'm eating and watching TV concurrently") sounds overly stiff and clinical.

Real-World Examples

These examples are sourced from concurrently on Ludwig.guru.

"Since the riots of 1981 our community has been involved in two conversations, running concurrently." — theguardian.com

"The games were supposed to kick off concurrently, at 8.45pm, but wound up starting three or four minutes late." — theguardian.com

"In local elections held concurrently with the AV referendum, his Labour Party is likely to make gains at the expense of both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, especially in the north of England." — economist.com

"Eventually, Mr Epstein predicts, studios will release films almost concurrently in all formats." — economist.com

"Concurrently, the influence of Spain also declined." — britannica.com

Examples sourced from https://ludwig.guru/s/concurrently

Similar Phrases and Alternatives

Phrase	Context
at the same time	Neutral register; the most versatile and common way to express simultaneity.
simultaneously	Formal/Academic; a direct synonym that emphasizes precise timing.
parallel to	Often used when two processes happen alongside each other without necessarily merging.
synchronously	Technical/Scientific; implies that actions are coordinated or timed together.
alongside	Neutral; suggests one thing happening in addition to and at the same time as another.
coincidentally	Neutral; implies two things happen at once by chance rather than by design.

Common Mistakes

• Wrong register: Learners often use it in informal speech where 'at the same time' or 'simultaneously' would be more natural, as 'concurrently' has a high-register, formal tone.
• Confusion with 'consecutively': Sometimes confused with its opposite; 'concurrently' means at the same time, while 'consecutively' means one after another.
• Redundancy: Using it with other simultaneous markers (e.g., "While they were both running concurrently") can be redundant in formal prose.

Quick-Reference Summary

Expression	Function	Register	Typical Position
concurrently	Temporal Simultaneity	Formal	Medial or Final

FAQs

Where in a sentence can concurrently appear?

You can place concurrently in the sentence-initial position followed by a comma to link two thoughts, or in the mid-clause and final positions to modify a verb. It is most frequently found at the end of a clause or immediately following the verb it describes.

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What is the main difference between concurrently and simultaneously?

While both mean "at the same time," concurrently often implies that two things are running in parallel or co-existing over a duration, such as legal sentences or software processes. Simultaneously is more common in general academic writing and often refers to the exact instant two actions occur.

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Is concurrently appropriate for casual conversation?

No, learners often use it in informal speech where at the same time or simultaneously would be more natural, as concurrently has a high-register, formal tone. Using it while chatting with friends can make your speech sound unnecessarily clinical or overly technical.