Hotan is a contraction of hote ('when') plus an (the particle of contingency), producing a conjunction that means 'whenever' or 'when' with an element of indefiniteness or futurity. Unlike the simple hote, which can state a definite past event, hotan typically points forward to something expected or recurrent. Jesus uses it frequently in the Sermon on the Mount to describe repeated situations: 'when you pray' (Matt 6:5-6), 'when you fast' (Matt 6:16). It also introduces eschatological conditions: 'when the Son of Man comes' (Matt 25:31), 'when these things begin to happen' (Luke 21:28). Spanish 'cuando,' French 'quand/lorsque,' and German 'wenn/wann' serve as regular renderings across its 123 occurrences.