How to use 到时候
Established future occasion，到时候 + action / decision
到时候 refers to a relevant time or occasion that the conversation has already established. It often points forward to a meeting, deadline, event, or stage in a plan. The following statement says what someone will do or what the situation will be when that occasion arrives. An exact clock time is unnecessary if the reference is clear to both speakers.
Place 到时候 before the relevant clause, often after earlier wording sets up the occasion. Common short responses defer a decision or discussion until then, with 再 emphasizing that it can wait. The phrase can also introduce a warning about future consequences. Avoid using it without a recoverable reference unless the shared situation already makes the intended occasion obvious.
Examples with pinyin and English
周五我们一起去，到时候我来接你。
We will go together on Friday. I will pick you up then.
The first clause establishes the future occasion.
先把材料准备好，到时候就不用着急了。
Prepare the materials first so you will not need to rush when the time comes.
The later occasion is understood from the preparation context.
下周见面时再选吧，到时候大家都在。
Let's choose when we meet next week; everyone will be there then.
到时候 refers back to next week's meeting.
What to remember
- Give 到时候 a clear occasion to refer to.
- Use 再 for an action deferred until then.
- Read reassurance, postponement, or warning from context.
Practise the pattern
Use one example as a model. Change the people, objects or situation, keeping the grammar pattern in the same order. Read the explanation again to check how your sentence uses the construction.
Look up the grammar words
Source and editorial notes
Explanation and examples written for Laowai using the grammar curriculum as a topic reference. The original curriculum credits AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki as used with permission. Read the retained source credits.
Difficulty labels describe the level of the explanation; they are not official HSK placement. Send a correction with this page’s URL.