445 – How to use When, While, & As

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A lot of my students ask me abut the difference between using when, while, and as. All three of these words can be used to indicate that two things happen at the same time, but they are not all used in the same way. I know that this is a confusing English point, so for today’s English lesson, let’s have a look at the difference between them.

Here are the example sentences. To get the details of this English lesson, you need to listen to the podcast or check the transcript for the details:

When you open the refrigerator door, the light comes on.
When the temperature reaches 0 degrees Celsius, water freezes.
When I grow up, I want to be a Sushi Chef!

I always listen to music while I drive.
The phone rang twice while we were having dinner.
I lost my passport while I was traveling in Spain.

I spilled my coffee as I walked out of the café.
Someone called my cell phone just as I was falling asleep.
The overhead bin opened up as the plane took off.

As I was full, I didn’t order dessert.
We were all smiling as we left the office.
We were all smiling because we left the office.

If you know anyone who might be interested in this English language point, why not help them out! Just share this lesson with them. Thanks for studying today!