Whenever means every time that, or at any time. In the first meaning, it talks about something that repeats: Whenever I visit Rome, I eat too much pizza. In the second, it lets the other person choose the time: Call me whenever you like. That's the sense in the title of Shakira's song Whenever, Wherever: at any time, in any place.
How would you use whenever?
Write a sentence — we'll check that the word fits the meaning and suggest what to fix.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
Whenever + present, + present (= every time); clause + whenever + subject + verb (= at any time); Whenever you're ready
- Whenever I fly long-haul, I take a scarf and a good pair of headphones.
- You can call the support line whenever you have a problem with your connection.
- Come round whenever you like. I'll be at home all weekend.
What changed
First versionCall me whenever you will need help with the move.
RevisionCall me whenever you need help with the move.
Needing help lies in the future, so will seems logical. But after whenever, as after when and if, English uses the present tense for the future: whenever you need.
For a single event in the past, use when: When I got home, I called my mum means you got home and called once. Whenever I got home, I called my mum means you called every time you got home. In requests about the future, whenever means “no matter when”: Text me whenever you land, whatever time the plane gets in. In essays, whenever suits general patterns: Whenever fuel prices rise, air tickets become more expensive.
Your turn
Yesterday I was halfway through my presentation ___ the projector suddenly stopped working.
Show the answer
when — This is about one event yesterday: the projector broke once, in the middle of the presentation. For a single event like that, you need when. Whenever means “every time” or “at any time” and would turn yesterday's breakdown into a habit.
Write about a habit: something you always do in a particular situation. Start the sentence with Whenever, name the situation and say what you do.
Whenever I have a job interview, I walk around the block first to calm down.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.