when he finishes

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "when he finishes" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate a future event that will occur after someone has completed a task or activity. Example: "We can start the meeting when he finishes his presentation."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

59 human-written examples

When he finishes, you hear a digital recording of it.

The New York Times - Arts

When he finishes everyone around the table is smiling.

The Guardian

When he finishes, he looks up with solemn pride.

The Guardian - Film

When he finishes, I let the camera run.

The New York Times

My son is going on a gap year when he finishes school in June.

Independent

When he finishes the roll call, there is a long ellipsis.

The New Yorker

When he finishes, the man says, "I respect what you've been through".

The New Yorker

When he finishes talking, his father takes a long breath and lets it out.

The New Yorker

Does he plan to make it a museum — completely open to the public — when he finishes?

The New York Times

He has secured a job in Yahoo's London office for when he finishes school.

The Economist

When he finishes he hopes to apply for a degree in aviation at Kingston University.

Independent

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "when he finishes" to clearly indicate a sequence of events where one action follows the completion of another. It works well in both formal and informal contexts.

Common error

Avoid using future tenses incorrectly. For example, instead of saying "When he will finish, we will start", use "When he finishes, we will start" or "After he finishes, we will start".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "when he finishes" functions as an adverbial clause of time, modifying the main clause by specifying when the action in the main clause will take place. Ludwig confirms its proper usage in diverse contexts.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

80%

Formal & Business

10%

Wiki

10%

Less common in

Science

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "when he finishes" is a common and grammatically sound adverbial clause used to indicate a future event that occurs after someone completes an action. Ludwig's analysis confirms its versatile application across various contexts, predominantly in news and media, with a neutral register. It’s essential to avoid tense errors and use the correct simple present form. Alternatives like "after he completes" or "once he is done" offer similar meanings with slight variations in formality and emphasis.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

after he completes

Replaces "when" with "after" while keeping the verb "completes", indicating a temporal sequence.

after he has finished

Adds "has" to emphasize the completed action.

once he is done

Uses "once" instead of "when" and "done" instead of "finishes", offering a more informal alternative.

as soon as he's done

Emphasizes immediacy using "as soon as" and an informal tone with "done".

when he's through

Uses "through" as an informal equivalent of "finished".

upon his completion

Replaces "when" with "upon" and uses the noun "completion" instead of the verb "finishes", resulting in a more formal tone.

on his finishing

Uses the preposition "on" followed by the gerund form of the verb.

following his completion

Similar to "upon his completion", but uses "following" as the preposition.

subsequent to his finishing

A more formal and somewhat stilted alternative, employing a prepositional phrase.

at the end of his work

Replaces the verb phrase with a noun phrase referring to the end of the work.

FAQs

How to use "when he finishes" in a sentence?

You can use "when he finishes" to describe an event that will occur after a person completes a task. For example, "When he finishes his homework, he can play video games".

What can I say instead of "when he finishes"?

Alternatives include "after he completes", "once he is done", or "upon his completion", depending on the level of formality you want to convey.

Is it correct to say "when he will finish" instead of "when he finishes"?

No, "when he finishes" is grammatically correct. "When he will finish" is generally considered incorrect in this context. Use the present simple tense after "when" to refer to a future event.

What is the difference between "when he finishes" and "after he finishes"?

Both phrases indicate a sequence of events, but "after he finishes" places a stronger emphasis on the completion of the action before the next event occurs, while "when he finishes" is a more general temporal connector.