it was then when i saw vs it was then that i saw

Both phrases are correct, but "it was then that I saw" is the more commonly used and accepted construction in English. The phrase "it was then when I saw" is less common and may sound awkward to native speakers.

Last updated: March 21, 2024

it was then when i saw

This construction is not commonly used in English and may sound awkward to native speakers.

The phrase "it was then when I saw" is not a standard or commonly accepted construction in English. It is better to use "it was then that I saw" for a more natural and correct expression.

Show examples from the web [+]

But a light would shine far away in a line,. It was then when I saw you for the first time,. and my heart wondered, if you could be mine? With a snap of a finger,.
He slumped in the corner and it was then when I saw the severity of the wounds he had just sustained. He was gasping for air and bleeding from his chest.
It was then when I saw the very evil gaze in her eyes. I suddenly realized that my clothes were off. I realized what was going on now. My blood ran cold.
It was then when I saw that my brain was playing back everything it had recorded for the 18 years I had lived in first person. However I found out I can switch to ...

it was then that i saw

This is the correct and more commonly used construction in English.

The phrase "it was then that I saw" is the correct way to express the sequence of events. It is a standard and widely accepted construction in English.

Show examples from the web [+]

Dec 20, 2013 ... “It was then that I saw the tortured stand before their tormentors, The last survivors facing those who had condemned them to death […]
It was then that I saw herÑthe ghost. The woman with streaming hair. She was surrounded by a gilt frame but I knew her. I dropped the candle I was carrying and ...
It was then that I saw her — the ghost. The woman with streaming hair. She was surrounded by a gilt frame but I knew her.” (111-112). “Her name oughtn't to be ...
It was then that I saw her—the ghost. The woman with streaming-hair. She was surrounded by a gilt frame but I knew her. I dropped the candle I was carrying ...

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it was then when i saw vs it was then that i saw