Question: Is it better to say I’ll do it when I can or I’ll do it as soon as I can?

Grammar: Adverbs (time expressions)

The adverbs when and as soon as have roughly the same meaning, but not exactly the same. Consider the following situations:

“I’ll finish my homework when I get home.”

• The speaker gets home at 4:00pm. He does his homework between 4:00 and his bedtime.

“I’ll finish my homework as soon as I get home.”

• The speaker gets home at 4:00pm. He works on his homework immediately, and finishes soon after.

What is the difference between these sentences?

• I’ll buy an umbrella when the rainy season starts.

• I’ll buy an umbrella as soon as the rainy season starts.

In the first sentence, the speaker may buy the umbrella a day or even a week after the first rain, but in the second sentence, it sounds like he will buy the umbrella a few minutes after the first rain.

To answer the question above, it is probably more polite to say I’ll do it as soon as I can because this shows that you consider it important enough not to wait.