Expressing "when" with "dengdao"

This article is a stub. Editors can help the Chinese Grammar Wiki by expanding it.

"等到"字面意思是"wait until"，相当于"when"在将来时里的时间状语，后半句常常用"再、就"连接，也可以用"才"。用"才"的时候往往是在描述过去发生的事。

Structure

等到 + Time Word ，Subj. + 再 / 就 / 才 + Predicate

or

等到 + [Verb Phrase]（ + 的时候），Subj. + 再 / 就 / 才 + Predicate

等到大学毕业，我就不用住在学校里了。Děngdào dàxué bìyè, wǒ jiù bùyòng zhù zài xuéxiào lǐ le.When I graduate from college, I dont need to live at school.
等到秋天，这些树叶就会变黄。Děngdào qiūtiān, zhèxiē shùyè jiù huì biàn huáng.When it is autumn, the leaves will have already become yellow.
等到雨停，我再出门。Děngdào yǔ tíng, wǒ zài chūmén.When the rain stops, then I will go outside.
等到这个项目结束的时候，我们部门会开派对庆祝。Děngdào zhège xiàngmù jiéshù de shíhou, wǒmen bùmén huì kāi pàiduì qìngzhù.When this project is finished, our department can have a party to celebrate.
等到你当了爸爸，你就会知道做父母多么不容易。Děngdào nǐ dāng le bàba, nǐ jiù huì zhīdào zuò fùmǔ duōme bù róngyì.When you act as the father, you will become aware of how hard it is to be a parent.
等到我离开家的时候，我才知道家有多好。Děngdào wǒ líkāi jiā de shíhou, wǒ cái zhīdào jiā yǒu duō hǎo.When I leave my house, I only then become aware of how good it is.

用于描述过去发生的事时，"直到"比"等到"更常用，后半句常常用"才"或"都"连接。

直到去年年底，这个项目才正式开始。Zhídào qùnián niándǐ, zhège xiàngmù cái zhèngshì kāishǐ.It was not until the end of last year that this project officially started.
直到上个月，我们才做好这个活动方案。Zhídào shàng gè yuè, wǒmen cái zuòhǎo zhège huódòng fāng'àn.It was not until last month that we finished this activity program.
直到去了北京，他才知道大城市的生活多么不容易。Zhídào qù le Běijīng, tā cái zhīdào dàchéngshì de shēnghuó duōme bù róngyì.It was not until he went to Beijing that he began to understand that life in a big city is not easy.
直到上了大学，我才发现这个世界有很多比我更优秀的人。Zhídào shàng le dàxué, wǒ cái fāxiàn zhège shìjiè yǒu hěn duō bǐ wǒ gèng yōuxiù de rén.It was not until starting college that I discovered this world has people that are superior to me.