Conditional Constructions, Conjunctions – Difference Between ‘If’ and ‘When’ in a Conditional Clause

conditional-constructionsconjunctions

For these two expressions:

I will give it to you when I no longer need it.

I will give it to you if I no longer need it.

Let us say it is an object such as a book or a laptop or something similar.
Is there any difference between the meanings of these two sentences?

Best Answer

The first assumes that a time will definitely come when the speaker’s need for the object comes to an end. The second makes no such assumption.