amikor / miközben

Hungarian distinguishes between 'when' and 'while' more strictly than English in certain contexts.

• Amikor (When): This is the standard way to link a time to an event. It is used for single events, habits, or specific periods. For emphasis, it often correlates with akkor in the main clause: Akkor hívj fel, amikor megérkezel. (Call me [then] when you arrive.) Note that amikor can also be used for simultaneous actions (e.g., Amikor ettem, csöngött a telefon. - 'When/While I was eating, the phone rang'), but miközben places a stronger emphasis on the parallel nature of the actions.
• Miközben (While): This emphasizes that two actions are occurring in parallel (simultaneity). Hungarian has no separate continuous past tense; the continuous aspect (e.g., 'was eating') is conveyed by context using the standard past tense. For verbs with a verbal prefix, this is shown by omitting or inverting the prefix (e.g., Éppen ment át az úton... 'He was crossing the road...' instead of Átment az úton 'He crossed the road'). For non-prefixed verbs (e.g., sétáltam, ettem), the continuous aspect relies entirely on context or adverbs with the base verb. Note that amíg can also mean 'while' and is frequently used interchangeably with miközben for simultaneous actions (e.g., Amíg ettem... / Miközben ettem...). However, unlike amíg, miközben cannot be used to mean 'until' or 'as long as'. A common synonym is mialatt. Additionally, miközben is frequently used to mean 'whereas' to contrast two situations (e.g., Ő gazdag, miközben én szegény vagyok. - 'He is rich, whereas I am poor.'). Note that amikor cannot be used for this contrastive meaning.

Important Distinctions:
1. Miközben vs. Közben: Miközben is a conjunction linking two clauses (e.g., 'While I was eating, the phone rang'). Közben is an adverb meaning 'meanwhile' or 'in the meantime'. It is frequently paired with és to link two independent clauses naturally (e.g., Ettem, és közben csöngött a telefon. - 'I was eating, and meanwhile the phone rang.'). Additionally, közben is a very common postposition meaning 'during' when placed after a noun (e.g., ebéd közben = during lunch; munka közben = during work). This distinction is vital: use miközben as a conjunction to introduce a dependent clause, and közben as a postposition (with nouns) or a standalone adverb (meanwhile).
2. Same-Subject Alternative: When the subject of both simultaneous actions is the same, Hungarian often uses the -va/-ve participle instead of a miközben clause (e.g., Zenét hallgatva sétáltam - 'I walked while listening to music').
3. Indirect Questions: If you are reporting a question (e.g., 'I don't know when...'), you must use the interrogative mikor instead of amikor. Because mikor is a question word, it occupies the preverbal focus position and forces the verbal prefix to split or invert (e.g., Amikor hazamegyek... vs. Nem tudom, mikor megyek haza.).
4. When vs. If: English speakers often use 'when' for habits. In Hungarian, amikor is perfectly standard for regular, definite habits. However, if the 'when' implies a strict condition or uncertainty, ha (if) is used (e.g., 'When I am tired, I sleep' -> Ha fáradt vagyok, alszom.).
5. Colloquial 'Mikor': In casual, spoken Hungarian, native speakers frequently drop the 'a-' and use mikor instead of amikor as a conjunction (e.g., Mikor hazamentem...); this is colloquial, and amikor is preferred in writing. However, the reverse is never true: amikor can never be used to ask a question.

Word Order and Punctuation:
1. Hungarian orthography dictates that all clauses must be separated by commas. If the conjunction starts the second clause, the comma goes before it. If the subordinate clause comes first, the comma is placed at the end of that clause (e.g., Amikor megérkezel, hívj fel.).
2. If the verb has a verbal prefix, the prefix stays attached in a neutral subordinate clause with amikor or miközben (e.g., amikor hazaértem).