Meaning

"Since when?" looks like a question about time, and sometimes it is: "Since when have you lived here?" But as a reaction, it isn't really asking for a date. It means "That's new to me, and I'm surprised," or, more sharply, "I don't believe that's true." Your brother says he loves jogging, and you've never seen him run. "Since when?"

The friendly version is surprised and curious. You can follow it with a real question: "Since when do you speak Spanish? That's amazing." The sharp version challenges a rule or claim you think is unfair, like "Since when do we need permission to leave early?" That one can sound confrontational, so with a manager, "Is that a new rule?" is safer.

In a conversation

VikramHana
  1. Vikram
  2. Hana
  3. Vikram
  4. Hana
  5. Vikram

Say it out loud

Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.

Check yourself

1Hana says "Since when?" when Vikram refuses meat. What does she mean?
2A coworker says "Since when do we need approval for coffee breaks?" How might it sound to the manager?

Practice · 3 min

Listen, then say each line. The stress lands on "when", and the voice goes up with surprise.

Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.