when they were young

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "when they were young" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to refer to a time in the past when a specific group of people were in their youth. Example: "They often reminisce about the adventures they had when they were young."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

They were farmers when they were young.

The New York Times

They pitched when they were young.

The New York Times - Sports

They learned their lesson, disciplined themselves when they were young.

The New Yorker

"Mama Papa when they were young," she concluded.

The New York Times

When they were young, their family lived in poverty.

The New Yorker

The scripts were so reliable once, when they were young.

The New York Times - Sports

When they were young, they thought they would live forever.

The New York Times

When they were young, they wrote songs about getting old.

The New York Times

Both of their parents divorced when they were young.

The Washington Post

What it was like when they were young?

The New York Times

Photographs of my parents when they were young.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "when they were young" to highlight differences or changes between someone's past and present. This is especially effective when emphasizing personal growth, transformation, or altered circumstances.

Common error

While "when they were young" is a clear way to establish a timeframe, overuse can make writing repetitive. Vary sentence structure by using synonyms like "in their youth" or "during their childhood" to maintain reader engagement.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "when they were young" functions as an adverbial clause of time, providing temporal context to the main clause. It specifies the period in someone's life when the action or state described in the main clause occurred. Ludwig provides numerous examples of this usage across various domains.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

98%

Science

1%

Formal & Business

1%

Less common in

Wiki

0%

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "when they were young" is a grammatically correct and very common way to provide temporal context, specifically referring to the youth of a group of people. According to Ludwig AI, it functions as an adverbial clause of time, primarily used in News & Media. Its neutral register makes it suitable for various contexts. While effective, it's important to avoid overuse and consider synonyms like "in their youth" for varied sentence structure.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

in their youth

Replaces "when they were young" with a more concise and formal phrase, focusing on the period of youth.

during their younger years

Emphasizes the years of youth, adding a slightly more descriptive element.

in their early days

Focuses on the beginning stages of their lives, implying a sense of inexperience or development.

back in their youth

Adds a nostalgic tone, indicating a past time of youth.

in their adolescence

Specifies a particular stage of youth, adolescence, implying teenage years.

during childhood

Focuses specifically on the period of childhood, before adolescence.

as children

A shorter and more direct way of saying "when they were young", focusing on their state as children.

in their formative years

Highlights the impact of those years on their development.

at a young age

Focuses on the age factor, highlighting that something happened early in their lives.

in their salad days

An idiomatic expression referring to a time of youthful inexperience and enthusiasm.

FAQs

What are some alternative phrases for "when they were young"?

You can use alternatives such as "in their youth", "during their younger years", or "in their early days" depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

How can I use "when they were young" in a sentence?

Use "when they were young" to provide context about a person's or group's earlier life stage, for example: "They often reminisce about the adventures they had "when they were young"".

Is it grammatically correct to say "when they were young"?

Yes, it is grammatically correct. It functions as a relative clause, providing a temporal context for the main clause in a sentence.

What's the difference between "when they were young" and "in their youth"?

While both phrases refer to a past time, "when they were young" is a clause that typically introduces additional information, whereas "in their youth" is a phrase that acts as an adverbial modifier.