[Grammar] by the time/when?

[hhtt21]

I am having a big trouble with "by the time". Would you please explain the meaning of it? Does "by the time" mean "when" if it is used with the simple past?

1. By the time I got back home, the telephone was ringing.

2. When I got back home, the telephone was ringing.


Do 1 and 2 mean the same? If not, what is the difference between them?

self-made.

Thank you.

 

[Raymott]

"By the time" has the implication that something was done in a short time, or quickly enough for something to have happened before it.
"By the time I got to the bus stop, the bus had left." The bus had already left when I got to the bus stop; I was late. The exact time that the bus left is not important. What you are doing is linking the actions - the bus leaving, and you arriving - and saying that one thing had already happened before the other, perhaps surpisingly, or unfortunately, or some other circumstance worth noting.
"When" doesn't always work for that.

In your examples, 2. would mean something similar to 1 if you wrote "When I got back home, the phone was already ringing." In both sentences, you are noting that the phone call came sooner than expected, or surprisingly early, for example.
"He said he'd ring me when he'd come to a decision. By the time I got back home, the phone was [already] ringing."

 

[jutfrank]

I'll give you a simple answer, which might suit your learning style and address the fact that for now you're really asking about meaning rather than use:

by the time I got home = before the point in time when I got home

So if I got home at 10:30, then by the time I got home = before 10:30

 

[hhtt21]

I'll give you a simple answer, which might suit your learning style and address the fact that for now you're really asking about meaning rather than use:

by the time I got home = before the point in time when I got home

So if I got home at 10:30, then by the time I got home = before 10:30

Then what is the difference between "by the time I got home" and "before I got home" in that sentence/context?

 

[Raymott]

Then what is the difference between "by the time I got home" and "before I got home" in that sentence/context?

Did you not understand my post? Is there anything I can do to clarify it?

 

[hhtt21]

Did you not understand my post? Is there anything I can do to clarify it?

At last, I understand the difference between "by the time" and "when", but my last question was a different question. It is about the difference between "by the time" and "before". So can we please deal with the examples again?

1. By the time I got back home, the telephone was ringing= The telephone has already been ringing when I got back to home, the telephone started to ring before I got back home.

2. Before I got back home, the telephone was ringing=?

Thank you.

 

[emsr2d2]

Unless the phone is still ringing when you get home, you can't know that it was ringing before you got home.

If someone else lives in your house, they might be able to say "Before you got home, your phone was ringing". It would be more natural to use "rang" there, though.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I am having a big trouble with "by the time". Would you please explain the meaning of it? Does "by the time" mean "when" if it is used with the simple past?

1. By the time I got back home, the telephone was ringing.

2. When I got back home, the telephone was ringing.

Do 1 and 2 mean the same?

Almost.

If not, what is the difference between them?

When you say "by the time," you're implying that you were too late for something. Examples:

- I raced to get home before the school called my parents, but by the time I got there, the phone was ringing.

- I hurried to the doctor's office, but by the time I got there, she had gone home.

- By the time I got to the theater, the movie had already started.

self-made.

Thank you.

You're welcome!