when? (question word)
Opens a direct or indirect question about time; often expanded to de când ("since when") or până când ("until when").
Când vii?
When are you coming?
Nu știu când.
I don't know when.
#50 · Adverb
când
In Romanian, când means “when? (question word)”. It’s the #50 most frequently used Romanian word. Below you’ll find how to use it, its forms, real example sentences, and common word pairings.
Meaning & Use
The Romanian "when", and the 50th most frequent word in the language. One invariable form covers both jobs English splits: the question Când vii? and the clause Vin când pot. The single thing to learn is that Romanian does not use the future after când the way English does — Când vine, îi spun, literally "when he comes, I tell him".
neutralwhen (linking two events)
Introduces a time clause. No comma is needed when the clause comes second.
Când ajung, te sun.
When I arrive, I'll call you.
Te sun când ajung.
I'll call you when I arrive.
whenever / every time
With a habitual verb, or reinforced as ori de câte ori / oricând, it becomes "whenever".
Când plouă, stau acasă.
When it rains, I stay home.
Vino când vrei.
Come whenever you like.
while / whereas (contrast)
A less obvious use: când can set two situations against each other, like English "when" in "why buy it when it's free?".
De ce plătești, când e gratis?
Why pay, when it's free?
Forms you’ll actually hear
Ranked by how often each form shows up in spoken Romanian. The top form cover about 100% of everyday use — learn these first.
când100%
Patterns
când is invariable and always opens its own clause — either at the very start of a question or at the head of the time clause, wherever that clause sits in the sentence.
Când + present → future meaning
The single most important pattern; no future tense in the când clause.
Când termin, plec.
When I finish, I'll leave.
de când / până când
Prepositions combine with când for "since when" and "until when".
Nu l-am văzut de când a plecat.
I haven't seen him since he left.
când + imperfect (background)
Setting a scene or a repeated past situation.
Când eram studenți, ieșeam des.
When we were students, we went out a lot.
oricând
The fused form for "anytime / whenever at all".
Poți suna oricând.
You can call anytime.
Examples
Când ai ajuns?
When did you arrive?
când - Question word first, then the compound past ai ajuns — no auxiliary shuffling as in English.
Te sun când ajung acasă.
I'll call you when I get home.
când - The key rule: the când clause uses the PRESENT (ajung), even though the event is in the future.
De când ești aici?
How long have you been here?
de când - de când = "since when"; Romanian answers it with the present, not a perfect.
Când eram mic, locuiam la țară.
When I was little, I lived in the countryside.
când - Past habits and background scenes take the imperfect on both sides — eram, locuiam.
Până când stai?
Until when are you staying?
până când - Prepositions attach in front of când to give de când, până când, pentru când.
After când, Romanian uses the present for future events: Când vine, îi spun ("When he comes, I'll tell him"). Când va veni is possible but sounds heavy and is not how people speak.
In expressions
Common phrases built around când — worth learning as whole units.
atunci când— when, at the moment when
lit. “then when”
până când— until
lit. “until when”