kai

When Clauses with Kai

Level 3

Kai means when and joins a time clause to a sentence: Kai grįšiu, paskambinsiu. (When I get back, I will call.) A comma always separates the two parts.

How It Works

Joining a time to an action

Kai is a conjunction: it links a clause that says when to the main clause. The kai clause can come first or second, and a comma always stands between them: Kai grįšiu, paskambinsiu. / Paskambinsiu, kai grįšiu.

The future after kai

English says when I get back with a present verb, even though the event is still to come. Lithuanian uses the real time of the event, so a future event takes the future tense: Kai grįšiu (literally when I will return). See The Future Tense.

  • Future: Kai būsiu Kaune, aplankysiu močiutę. (When I am in Kaunas, I will visit Grandma.)
  • Past, one time: Kai atėjau, visi jau valgė. (When I arrived, everyone was already eating.)
  • Again and again: Kai lyja, važiuoju autobusu. (When it rains, I take the bus.)

Kai or kada?

To ask when?, use kada: Kada grįši? (When will you be back?). Kai is not the interrogative word meaning when? Kada can also join clauses, but kai is the usual word there. See Where, When, How and Why.

Kai, jei and o

Use kai for something you expect to happen and jei for something that may or may not happen: Kai grįšiu (I will come back) versus Jei grįšiu (if I come back). See Real Conditions With Jei. English while can also set two people side by side, but kai cannot. For that, use o: Aš mėgstu kavą, o sesuo mėgsta arbatą. See Contrast With O.

Examples (6)

  1. Kai grįšiu namo, paskambinsiu tau.

    When I get home, I will call you.

    Word by Word: When (I) will-return home, (I) will-call to-you.

    Both verbs are future: grįšiu and paskambinsiu.

  2. Kai buvau vaikas, gyvenau kaime.

    When I was a child, I lived in the countryside.

    Word by Word: When (I) was child, (I) lived in-village.

    Both events in this example are in the past.

  3. Kai lyja, važiuoju į darbą autobusu.

    When it rains, I take the bus to work.

    Word by Word: When (it) rains, (I) ride to work by-bus.

    The present in both clauses describes something that happens every time.

  4. Paskambink man, kai būsi Vilniuje.

    Call me when you are in Vilnius.

    Word by Word: Call me, when (you) will-be in-Vilnius.

    The kai clause comes second here. It still takes the future būsi and a comma.

  5. Kai atėjome į kavinę, visi staliukai jau buvo užimti.

    When we got to the café, all the tables were already taken.

    Word by Word: When (we) came into café, all tables already were taken.

    One finished event in the past, told with the past tense.

  6. Kai baigsiu universitetą, važiuosiu dirbti į Airiją.

    When I finish university, I will go to work in Ireland.

    Word by Word: When (I) will-finish university, (I) will-go to-work to Ireland.

    baigsiu and važiuosiu are both future.

Common Mistakes

  • Using kai to ask a question.

    Kai tu grįši?
    Kada tu grįši?

    To ask directly for the time of returning, use kada. Kai introduces a subordinate clause instead.

  • Using kai to contrast two people, like English while.

    Aš mėgstu kavą, kai mano sesuo mėgsta arbatą.
    Aš mėgstu kavą, o mano sesuo mėgsta arbatą.

    In this comparison of preferences, use the coordinating o. To set two facts side by side, use o. The State Commission of the Lithuanian Language treats this use of kai as a copy of English.

How It Connects

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kaiLevel 3When Clauses with Kai

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Kai relates the time of one event to another, retaining future forms for predicted future events.

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