2 · Linking clauses, first steps
Before and after: -기 전에, -(으)ㄴ 후에
clauses of time before and after
-기 전에 says "before doing"; -(으)ㄴ 후에 and -(으)ㄴ 다음에 say "after doing".
“Before” is -기 전에 on any stem, with no change: 자기 전에, 먹기 전에, 만들기 전에. Literally it is “before the doing”: -기 turns the verb into a noun, and 전 (before) follows it with a space. After a noun, 전에 follows directly: 수업 전에, 식사 전에.
“After” uses the past modifier: an n after a vowel (본 후에, 한 다음에), -은 after a consonant (먹은 후에), and a stem in l loses it (만든 후에, 산 다음에). 후에 is neutral and a little formal, 다음에 everyday, 뒤에 common in both. After a noun: 수업 후에.
Neither clause takes the past. The time of the whole sentence comes from the last verb: 자기 전에 이를 닦았어요, “I brushed my teeth before going to bed”. The -은 of “after” already means “having done”, so 먹었은 후에 is not a form. The two clauses may have different subjects: 손님이 오기 전에 청소했어요.
English speakers often take the present modifier for “after” — 먹는 후에 — because the English verb is in the present. But “after” looks back at a finished action, so Korean takes the past modifier: 먹은 후에. After a length of time, 전에 means “ago” and 후에 “later”: 삼 일 전에, 한 시간 후에.
The form
| before, any verb | 자다 → 자기 전에 |
| before, with a noun | 수업 전에 |
| after, after a vowel | 보다 → 본 후에 |
| after, after a consonant | 먹다 → 먹은 후에 |
| after, the l drops | 만들다 → 만든 다음에 |
| after, with a noun | 식사 후에 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
-기 전에 attaches straight to the stem.
자기 전에 이를 닦으세요.Brush your teeth before you go to bed.
“After” is -은 후에 after a consonant; after a vowel only an n is added.
밥을 먹은 후에 약을 드세요.Take the medicine after eating.
Neither clause takes the past; the last verb carries the tense.
어제 수업이 끝난 다음에 도서관에 갔어요.Yesterday, after class finished, I went to the library.
After a noun, 전에 and 후에 follow with a space.
식사 전에 손을 씻어요.I wash my hands before meals.
The two clauses may have different subjects.
손님이 오기 전에 청소를 끝냈어요.I finished cleaning before the guests arrived.
A closer look
후에, 다음에, 뒤에 and -고 나서
The three words for “after” mean the same. 후에 is the most neutral and the one you will read in instructions; 다음에 is the most everyday; 뒤에 sits in between. In speech the 에 is often dropped: 먹은 후, 끝난 다음.
-고 나서 is a fourth way, built on -고: 숙제를 하고 나서 놀아요. It stresses that the first action is completely over, and it goes straight onto the stem with no modifier to choose.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
-
the stem ends in l, as in 만들다, 놀다 or 살다
the l drops before the modifier: 만든 후에, 논 다음에, 산 후에.
케이크를 만든 다음에 사진을 찍었어요.After making the cake, I took a photo.
A stem-final l disappears before n.
How to spot it
- -기 전에
- -(으)ㄴ 후에
- -(으)ㄴ 다음에
- -(으)ㄴ 뒤에
- -고 나서
Example sentences
한국에 오기 전에 한국어를 조금 배웠어요.Before coming to Korea, I learnt a little Korean.
수업이 끝난 후에 친구를 만날 거예요.I am going to meet a friend after class.
회사에 가기 전에 커피를 한 잔 마셔요.Before going to work, I drink a cup of coffee.
영화를 본 다음에 저녁을 먹었어요.After the film, we had dinner.
졸업한 후에 무엇을 하고 싶어요?What do you want to do after you graduate?
삼 일 전에 이 책을 샀어요.I bought this book three days ago.
8 more example sentences
여행을 떠나기 전에 호텔을 예약했어요.I booked a hotel before setting off on the trip.
이 약은 식사 후에 드세요.Take this medicine after meals.
운동을 한 다음에 샤워를 해요.I shower after exercising.
잊어버리기 전에 메모하세요.Make a note before you forget.
결혼한 후에 부산으로 이사했어요.After getting married, I moved to Busan.
시험을 보기 전에 너무 긴장했어요.I was very nervous before the exam.
음악을 들은 후에 기분이 좋아졌어요.After listening to music, I felt better.
퇴근한 뒤에 친구들과 저녁을 먹었어요.After work I had dinner with friends.
Worth knowing (1)
-
Ago and later
After a length of time, 전에 means “ago” and 후에 means “later” or “in”: 일주일 전에, “a week ago”; 한 시간 후에 다시 오세요, “come back in an hour”.
십 분 후에 다시 전화할게요.I will ring again in ten minutes.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
“After” looks back at an action that is already finished, so it takes the past modifier -은, not the present -는 — even when the whole sentence is about today or every day.
Before is -gi jeone on any stem; after is the past modifier plus hue or daeume — and the tense waits for the end.
Your turn
10 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.