Whereas = When, in fact

[Ashraful Haque]

Even though I've read 'whereas' in books and newspapers, I've never heard anyone say it. Is 'when, in fact' a good alternative?

"You treat the matter lightly, when, in fact, I myself was never more serious."
"Everyone thought she was trying to punch his face, when, in fact, she was just trying to give him a friendly hug."

Would they sound natural in conversations?

 

[emsr2d2]

I'd find "whereas" more natural than "when, in fact". I use "whereas" quite frequently.

 

[jutfrank]

Is 'when, in fact' a good alternative?

I'll give you a big fat 'no'. They're quite different, and never interchangeable.

 

[Ashraful Haque]

I'll give you a big fat 'no'. They're quite different, and never interchangeable.

Can you give me an example sentence so I can understand the differences?

 

[Ashraful Haque]

I'd find "whereas" more natural than "when, in fact". I use "whereas" quite frequently.

Do you think it's the same in AmE?

 

[SoothingDave]

No, it's pretty much limited to legal language in AmE. No one says it on a regular basis.

 

[emsr2d2]

I don't find them that different. I have no issue with the following meaning the same:

I thought we were going to Paris, France when in fact we were going to Paris, Texas!
I thought we were going to Paris, France whereas we were actually going to Paris, Texas!

A few online dictionaries give "where, on the contrary" as an alternative to "whereas". That, to me, means the same as "when, in fact".

 

[Ashraful Haque]

No, it's pretty much limited to legal language in AmE. No one says it on a regular basis.

Would you say 'when, in fact' on a regular basis? If not, what would you say instead?

 

[SoothingDave]

Something like that. Or "when, actually..."

 

[jutfrank]

Here's a simple example of use of 'whereas'.

I prefer tea whereas my wife prefers coffee.

Obviously, you can't use 'when, in fact' there.

Remember that 'in fact' is used to correct some previously mentioned piece of information.

 

[jutfrank]

I don't find them that different. I have no issue with the following meaning the same:

I thought we were going to Paris, France when in fact we were going to Paris, Texas!
I thought we were going to Paris, France whereas we were actually going to Paris, Texas!

For me, that's a very good context to exemplify 'when, in fact' but it's not a good example for 'whereas'. The main idea of this sentence is correction, not contrast.

A few online dictionaries give "where, on the contrary" as an alternative to "whereas". That, to me, means the same as "when, in fact".

Not really. The phrase 'on the contrary' there emphasises the contrastive sense whereas the phrase 'in fact' serves to make a correction. That's not the same.

 

[Tarheel]

I wouldn't use "whereas" there (and probably not anywhere else). Perhaps: "I prefer tea, but my wife prefers coffee."

 

[probus]

To expand a little on @SoothingDave's reply, contracts in common law countries customarily begin with a list of facts which are necessary to understand and interpret the contract. These are called the recitals. For example:

WHEREAS Joe Blow is a resident of Calabogas County,

and WHEREAS Calabogas County is in the state of Penciltucky

NOW THEREFORE this agreement witnesseth that:

 

[jutfrank]

I wouldn't use "whereas" there (and probably not anywhere else). Perhaps: "I prefer tea, but my wife prefers coffee."

Actually, 'but' isn't quite the same, either. If you want an alternative to 'whereas' you can use 'while' instead.

(I don't quite understand why Americans have yet to incorporate the wonderful 'whereas' into their charming dialect. Y'all really ought to give it a go! )

 

[Skrej]

I do use it infrequently in everyday conversations. I don't think it's super common, but it is used some outside of legalese in AmE.

I personally use it for comparison and contrast. For example, right now I'm looking at various website hosting services and their pricing plans.

Squarespace offers unlimited bandwidth and storage at a particular price point, whereas Wix only offers 100 GB of storage for a similar price structure.
Wix charges no transaction fees for any of their plans, whereas Squarespace does charge 3% with their basic plan only.

You couldn't substitute 'when in fact' in my contexts. That being said, I'm probably just as likely to drop the 'as' and simply use 'where' in my own usage.