“when” in Latin

cum: ubi: quando: ut. ☞ cum denotes the coincidence of two facts, so that either both happen at the same point of time, or one happens whilst another is still going on or is immediately consequent to it: it is = “at the same time as,” or “as often as.” As a pure particle of time, when no relation of cause and effect is to be expressed, it takes indicative of present and perfect (and also the imperfect and pluperfect of repeated actions = “as often as”); but in historical narrative the subjunctive of imperfect and pluperfect; e.g., when Artaxerxes intended to declare war against the king of Egypt, he requested from the Athenians Iphicrates as general, cum Artaxerxes aegyptio regi bellum inferre voluit, Iphicratem ab Atheniensibus petivit ducem; when Epaminondas had conquered the Lacedaemonians at Mantinea, he asked whether his shield were safe, Epaminondas, cum vicisset Lacedaemonios ad Mantineam, quaesivit, salvusne esset clipeus (Vid: Grotefend: § 168, Obs. 2, § 233; Zumpt, § 577, sequens and the followings). It is followed by the subjunctive when it is dependent on another member of the sentence, when it is used conditionally, or when the sentiments or language of a second party are represented. Quo tempore, ubi, denote a point of time from which some other takes its beginning; usually with the indicative; with the subjunctive only when anything is represented as merely accidental or probable: quando denotes some indefinite point of time, past or future, and hence it can be employed interrogatively, indefinitely, and relatively; it takes the subjunctive only in indirect interrogatives, otherwise the indicative: ut = “as soon as,” denoting an event as succeeded by another, always with an indicative: In English, “when” is frequently put in the first clause of a sentence, where in Latin it must be put with the second, cum being then used to give prominence to the idea of time. This occurs especially after “already, now, scarcely, not yet;” e.g., when scarcely a year had intervened, he accused him, vix annus intercesserat, cum ilium accusavit: when spring was near, Hannibal broke up his winter-quarters, jam ver appetebat, cum Hannibal ex hibernis movit. Scarcely... when (but just... when), commodum or commode... cum (colloquial; e.g., commodum discesserat Hirt., cum tabellarius venit: emerseram commode ex Antiate in Appiam... cum etc.): vix or vixdum... cum (e.g., vixdum episto lam tuam legeram cum ad me Curt., venit). “When” is very frequently expressed by the participle in the same case with the noun to which it belongs, if there be only one subject in the sentence; but if there be two or more subjects, then the ablative absolute is employed; e.g., when Tarquinius was besieging Ardea he lost the kingdom, Tarquinius Ardeam oppugnans perdidit regnum: when Alexander was about to invade the territories of he Persians he gave Susa to Archelaus, Alexander Persidis fines aditurus Susa urbem Archelao tradidit: when Dionysius had been expelled from Syracuse, he taught children at Corinth, Dionysius Syracusis expulsus Corinthi pueros docebat: when Tarquinius Superbus was king, Pythagoras came to Italy, Pythagoras, Tarquinio Superbo regnante, in Italiam venit: when Carthage had been destroyed, the morals of the Romans became corrupt, Carthagine diruta, Romanorum mores corrumpebantur (Vid: Grotefend, § 228 and 230; Zumpt, § 635, 639, and 640). In the same manner the ablative absolutely, must frequently be employed where in English two members of a sentence have only one subject, but the action of the one is considered as absolute or independent, whilst the subject can be referred only to the action of the other member; e.g., when Caes. had gone round all the winter-quarters, he found the ships of war completely equipped, Caes., circuitis omnibus hibernis, naves longas invenit instructas.