Expressing "when" with "shi"

By now you should now how to express "when" using "的时候" (de shíhou). But there's also a slightly shorter, more formal way to do it: simply use 时 (shí) all by itself. (No 的!)

Structure

(Subj. +) Verb / Adj. + 时⋯⋯

As time words can appear before or after the subject, you can also place the Time + 时 (shí) after the subject.

There are two great examples of this pattern in the poem below.

你

一会儿看我

一会儿看云

你看我时很远

你看云时很近

参加面试时，要穿得正式一点。Cānjiā miànshì shí, yào chuān de zhèngshì yīdiǎn.When you go to the interview, you have to dress a little more formally.
会议结束时老板才来。Huìyì jiéshù shí lǎobǎn cái lái.The boss showed up when the meeting was over.
大学毕业时，他们分手了。Dàxué bìyè shí, tāmen fēnshǒu le.When they graduated, they broke up.
飞机起飞时，他关了手机和电脑。Fēijī qǐfēi shí, tā guān le shǒujī hé diànnǎo.When the plane took off, he turned off his phone and computer.
考试时不要说话。Kǎoshì shí bù yào shuōhuà.When you take a test, don't talk.