Is 'When' a Preposition? ANSWER and Examples
"When" Not a Preposition
No, 'when' is not a preposition. It is actually a subordinating conjunction or a relative adverb, depending on its usage in a sentence.
As a subordinating conjunction, 'when' introduces a dependent clause that functions as an adverbial clause to indicate the time at which an action or event occurs.
For example: "I will go to the park when it stops raining." In this sentence, 'when' introduces the adverbial clause "it stops raining," which provides information about the time when the action of going to the park will occur.
As a relative adverb, 'when' is used to modify a noun and introduce a relative clause that provides additional information about time.
For example: "This is the day when we met." In this sentence, 'when' modifies the noun "day" and introduces the relative clause "we met," which provides information about the specific day being referred to.
In both cases, 'when' functions as a subordinating conjunction or a relative adverb, not as a preposition.
Prepositions are words that typically show the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence, indicating location, time, manner, or other relationships. Examples of prepositions include : ("in," "on," "at," "with," and "from")