"By the time..."

Question

I would appreciate a little help with the idea "by the time..."

Example: By the time you get there, the food will be gone.

I'm inclined to say: Cuando por fin llegues, se habrá acabado la comida.

That is my best guess, but I feel there might be a better, more natural way to say it.

Answer 1

Cuando is the most natural word use. Cuando te llegas...

Answer 2

I have found a few references but they differ with the context.

By the time he arrived - para cuando él llegó

By the time we got there he´d left - cuando llegamos allí ya se había ido

By this time - ya, antes de esto

By this time next year - el año que viene por estas fechas

• Thanks Eddy, I think "para cuando" was the one I was looking for. - Lezipo Sep 8, 2009