的时候
de shí hou
Expressing "when" with "de shihou"
的时候 turns any clause into a "when…" phrase, and it goes at the end of that clause.
Verb / Clause + 的时候
How it works
你不在的时候，我会想你 — when you're not around, I miss you. The whole "when" clause comes first, and 的时候 closes it.
This mirrors 以前 and 以后: Chinese marks time relationships at the end of the phrase, not the start.
For a point in time rather than a stretch, 时 is the terser written alternative (考试时). 的时候 is what people say.
Examples
nǐ bú zài de shí hou, wǒ huì xiǎng nǐ
你不在的时候，我会想你。
When you're not around, I miss you.
xiǎo de shí hou wǒ hěn xǐ huan huà huà
小的时候我很喜欢画画。
When I was little I loved drawing.
chī fàn de shí hou bié kàn shǒu jī
吃饭的时候别看手机。
Don't look at your phone while eating.