ขณะที่

Explanation

ขณะที่ is built from ขณะ, meaning a time or period, plus ที่, and it is followed by a clause. Its core idea is setting one situation as the background for another. With กำลัง + verb, it often means “right while someone is doing something.” It is also commonly used to compare two situations, meaning “whereas” or contrastive “while,” especially in news, reports, and explanatory writing.

Usage

Use it to describe what was happening in the background, in rules or warnings such as “while driving,” and in news or reports that compare two situations. It is understood in conversation, but ตอนที่ or แต่ may sound more natural in casual speech.

Caution

For simple time expressions like “when I was a child” or “when we met yesterday,” ตอน or ตอนที่ is usually more natural. In the contrastive use, ขณะที่ does not necessarily mean the same person is doing two actions at the same time.

1 while synonyms

• ตอนที่

  ตอนที่ is the everyday way to say “when.” ขณะที่ more clearly frames an ongoing background situation and often sounds more explanatory or written.

• ระหว่างที่

  ระหว่างที่ emphasizes the duration of “during the time that.” ขณะที่ can also mean “while,” but is often used to set the scene for something happening during that time.

2 whereas synonyms

• ส่วน

  sùan as for

  ส่วน is often used to shift topics, like “as for” or “on the other hand,” and is common in speech. ขณะที่ creates a more sentence-level contrast and sounds more explanatory.

• แต่

  tɛ̀ɛ but

  แต่ is the general word for “but.” ขณะที่ is not just a simple “but”; it sets two situations side by side for comparison or contrast.