when she realizes vs when she realized

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'When she realizes' is used when referring to a future event. However, 'when she realized' is used when talking about a past event. Therefore, the choice between the two depends on the tense of the overall timing.

Explained by Jennifer
Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: February 20, 2025 • 6578 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used when referring to a future event.

"when she realizes"

This phrase is used to describe a moment in the future when a person becomes aware of something or understands a situation.

Examples:

When she realizes how much work it will take, she might change her mind.
I wonder what she will do when she realizes the truth.

Show examples from the web [+]

And when she realizes you've lied to her?
Shouldn't you be home comforting her, or are you terrified of being there when she realizes her brother is dead?
Then our neighbor pops her head in, and she turns red with rage when she realizes that those immigrants from downstairs have somehow gotten their hands on her pizza.
were very well defined, and I love the twist when she realizes it's the same man.
I only wish I could see her face - her fat little face - when she realizes... that there is indeed someone filthier than her.
And what will your mother say when she realizes you killed the only person who can give her what she wants?
What do you think Marie-Cecile will do when she realizes O'Donnell doesn't have what she wants?
It's a shame I can't be there to see the expression on Ellen's face... when she realizes how we played her.
And then she finds the ultimate epowerment... when she realizes that she doesn't need men.
But I doubt Mia will mind when she realizes how much it means to you.
She came back to the blue derby, flips out when she realizes Jordan has no interest in being a father.
But when she realizes that and gets headed the right way-
She will soon give up... when she realizes she has to start all over again.
But when she realizes what this is, she'll probably be more mad at us than she was before.
The punishment is only enough when she realizes it isn't punishment at all.
But when she realizes that and gets headed the right way - Laura Moser leads to brian Moser, Leads to the ice truck killer, leads to Harry Morgan.
What do we do when she realizes he's not in Cologne?
When she realizes she has lost her phone she will come back to find it.
When she realizes our data is wrong, she'll write about it and trash the study.
It may take Lena a while to come back from that but I think she will when she realizes you're here to stay.

Alternatives:

when she becomes aware
when she understands
when she comprehends
when she figures out
when she gets it

This phrase is correct and commonly used when referring to a past event.

"when she realized"

This phrase is used to describe a moment in the past when a person became aware of something or understood a situation.

Examples:

When she realized she had forgotten her keys, she went back home.
I remember when she realized the mistake she had made.

Show examples from the web [+]

Dumped me when she realized I hadn't got over you.
The woman... when she realized I was watching her, she dove in, but swam away from her father.
Julia gave it to me when she realized you were never coming back.
And then a month later, when she realized That he had taken me and my sister with him, It got even worse...
What was her reaction when she realized what she'd done?
When she realized what kind of man Lake was, she... she tried to do the right thing.
She didn't want the deal to go through anymore when she realized that it would compromise our way of life.
What look did your mom have on her face when she realized her son was a complete failure?
When she realized I wasn't who I said I was, I think she felt betrayed.
When she realized she couldn't ride this thoroughbred, She bolted.
That's when she realized he was face-blind.
And when she realized it was just a decoy planted there for her to read, she'd find her real diary.
Young Lydia said the very same thing... when she realized the three of us were dead.
But she backed off when she realized that Will was interested in me.
That's when she realized he was face-blind.
Granny became ill when she realized that she was being cast aside by her husband and children.
And then she planted the can of lighter fluid in Dixon's bedroom when she realized that you guys had been there that night, too.
But when she realized that she couldn't possibly be sick in bed when she'd been caught making cellphone calls from Pennsylvania and back, she changed her story again.
Do you not think that the other Mary felt betrayal when she realized what God intended for the son he gave her?
[I'm sure Shizuru can read other people's mind too,] [so I'm sure this is when she realized.]

Alternatives:

when she became aware
when she understood
when she comprehended
when she figured out
when she got it

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when she realizes vs when she realized

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