when the process finishes

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "when the process finishes" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to indicate a specific point in time when a process has been completed. Example: "Please notify me when the process finishes so I can proceed with the next steps."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

Wiki

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

When the process finishes and the output files are written to disk the progress bar is terminated and the 'Outputs' tab with the results is automatically opened.

Journal of Cheminformatics

Run it when the process finishes.

WikiHow

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

The process finishes when set N is empty.

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking

The process finishes when we produce the permutation π.

Algorithms for Molecular Biology

The process finishes when the score is smaller than a similarity threshold (input parameter) which we set to 0.6.

BMC Evolutionary Biology

The process finishes when all lineages are cut producing a tree.

Algorithms for Molecular Biology

The process finishes when there is only one conglomerate remaining (agglomerative method).

BioMed Research International

When the optimization process finishes, the Pareto front side is got, in which many Pareto solutions whose integrated performances are more excellent than basic configuration are found.

Aerospace Science and Technology

When the growth process finished, the samples were immediately taken out from the solution and rinsed in flowing DI water several times to remove any unwanted residues and then dried with a flow of pure N2 gas.

Nanoscale Research Letters

When the sampling process finished, the charged strainer was carefully taken off the probe.

BioMed Research International

Sources close to the justice secretary said it was likely that when the consultation process finished, and the government issued a formal response to the Green Paper, it would be far more specific on the range of cases and issues that could be affected.

BBC

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Place this clause at the beginning of a sentence to establish the timeframe before introducing the main action, followed by a comma.

Common error

A frequent mistake is using 'when the process will finish'. In English temporal clauses, the present simple is used to represent the future. For instance, write 'we will notify you when the process finishes' instead of 'when it will finish'.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "when the process finishes" acts as a temporal adverbial clause. Its primary function is to define a specific moment in time that serves as a condition or a milestone for a subsequent event. According to Ludwig, this structure is standard and adheres to the rule where the simple present tense is employed for future-oriented time clauses.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

55%

Wiki

25%

News & Media

15%

Less common in

Formal & Business

3%

Encyclopedias

1%

Social Media

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "when the process finishes" is a grammatically sound and widely used expression across multiple professional domains. Data from Ludwig shows a strong presence in scientific literature and technical manuals, where it serves to clarify sequence and timing. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness, particularly noting that the use of the present tense 'finishes' is the appropriate choice for describing a future completion point. Writers should feel confident using this phrase in any context ranging from computer science tutorials to high-level journalistic reports. For those seeking higher formality, alternatives such as "once the process is complete" or "after the process concludes" are excellent substitutions that maintain the same core meaning while elevating the tone.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

once the process is complete

more formal and emphasizes the state of wholeness

after the process concludes

uses a more formal verb often found in academic or official reports

when the operation ends

replaces process with operation for specific technical or medical contexts

upon completion of the process

highly formal prepositional phrase common in legal or business documentation

when the procedure terminates

uses technical terminology often found in computer science or logic

at the end of the process

focuses on the structural endpoint rather than the action of finishing

when the process is over

slightly more informal and common in spoken English

once everything is finished

broader scope that implies multiple sub-tasks or steps

when the task wraps up

idiomatic and colloquial use of the phrasal verb

following the completion of the steps

emphasizes the sequential nature of a multi-step procedure

FAQs

How do I use "when the process finishes" in a sentence?

You can use it to indicate a trigger for a next step. For example: "Please let me know "when the process finishes" so I can review the results."

What can I say instead of "when the process finishes"?

Depending on the context, you can use "once the process is complete" for more formality or "after the process concludes" in a professional report.

Is it "when the process finishes" or "when the process will finish"?

The correct form is "when the process finishes". In English, we do not use the future tense 'will' in time clauses introduced by 'when'.

What is the difference between "when the process finishes" and "once the process is complete"?

The meaning is almost identical, but "once the process is complete" is often preferred in formal writing to emphasize the finalized status of the work.