German Time Clauses: Linking Events with bevor and nachdem
Learn to connect two events in German using the subordinate clauses bevor (before) and nachdem (after), with correct word order and tenses.
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In German, you can link two events in one sentence with the subordinating conjunctions bevor (before) and nachdem (after). Unlike simple sequencing words such as zuerst (first) and dann (then), these conjunctions create a subordinate clause, which changes word order: the conjugated verb moves to the end of the clause. This lesson shows you how to build these sentences correctly and how to match the tenses, so you can say things like 'After I ate, I left' in natural German.
By the end, you can…
- form a German sentence with a nachdem-clause to say one event happened after another.
- form a German sentence with a bevor-clause to say one event happened before another.
- keep the correct verb-final word order in subordinate time clauses.
- choose between the perfect and the simple past in time clauses.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
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Nachdem ich gegessen hatte, ging ich los.
After I had eaten, I left.
NAKH-dem ikh guh-GES-sen HAT-tuh, ging ikh lohs
Standard written and spoken German; nachdem-clause comes first, so the main clause starts with its verb (ging).
Bevor ich gehe, rufe ich dich an.
Before I leave, I'll call you.
buh-FOR ikh GAY-uh, ROO-fuh ikh dikh AN
Bevor-clause with present tense; the main clause also uses present, often with future meaning.
Ich trinke Kaffee, bevor ich arbeite.
I drink coffee before I work.
ikh TRIN-kuh KAF-fay, buh-FOR ikh AR-buy-tuh
Main clause first, then bevor-clause; the verb arbeiten goes to the end of the subordinate clause.
Nachdem sie angekommen war, rief sie ihre Mutter an.
After she had arrived, she called her mother.
NAKH-dem zee AN-guh-kom-men var, reef zee EE-ruh MUT-ter an
Uses the past perfect (war angekommen) in the nachdem-clause and simple past (rief ... an) in the main clause.
Wir müssen bezahlen, bevor wir das Restaurant verlassen.
We have to pay before we leave the restaurant.
veer MÜS-sen buh-TSAH-len, buh-FOR veer das res-tow-RANG fer-LAS-sen
Useful everyday pattern with müssen; the separable verb verlassen stays together at the end.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
A time clause with bevor or nachdem is a subordinate clause, so the conjugated verb goes to the very end. Compare: Ich esse. (I eat.) → Bevor ich esse, ... (Before I eat, ...). If the subordinate clause comes first, the main clause begins with its verb: Bevor ich esse, wasche ich meine Hände. (Before I eat, I wash my hands.) With nachdem, the two clauses usually use different tenses: the nachdem-clause is one step further back in time. Nachdem ich gegessen hatte, ging ich los. (After I had eaten, I left.)
When to use it
Use bevor when the main-clause event happens first and the subordinate event comes later: Ich rufe dich an, bevor ich gehe. (I'll call you before I leave.) Use nachdem when the subordinate event happens first: Nachdem ich gegessen hatte, ging ich los. (After I had eaten, I left.) In spoken German, many speakers use the perfect instead of the simple past in the main clause: Nachdem ich gegessen hatte, bin ich losgegangen. Both are acceptable; the past perfect in the nachdem-clause is the key signal.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Was machst du heute Abend?
What are you doing tonight?vas MAKHST doo HOY-tuh AH-bentNachdem ich zu Abend gegessen habe, gehe ich ins Kino.
After I have eaten dinner, I'm going to the cinema.NAKH-dem ikh tsoo AH-bent guh-GES-sen HAH-buh, GAY-uh ikh ins KEE-nohRufst du mich an, bevor du gehst?
Will you call me before you go?ROOFST doo mikh AN, buh-FOR doo GAYSTJa, ich rufe dich an, bevor ich das Haus verlasse.
Yes, I'll call you before I leave the house.yah, ikh ROO-fuh dikh AN, buh-FOR ikh das HOWS fer-LAS-suhA little context goes a long way
In everyday German, bevor and nachdem are common in both speech and writing, but nachdem is slightly more formal in tone. In casual conversation, speakers often replace nachdem with a main-clause sequence using dann: Ich habe gegessen, dann bin ich losgegangen. (I ate, then I left.) This is not wrong, but it is less tightly linked than a nachdem-clause. In Austrian and Swiss German, the same standard forms are used in writing, though regional dialects may prefer different conjunctions in speech.
One thing to watch for
Putting the conjugated verb in second position in the subordinate clause: *Bevor ich gehe, ich rufe dich an.
Try this instead: In a subordinate clause, the conjugated verb goes to the end. When the subordinate clause comes first, the main clause starts with its verb: Bevor ich gehe, rufe ich dich an. (Before I leave, I'll call you.)
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1Combine into one sentence: Ich habe gegessen. Ich bin losgegangen. (Use nachdem.)
Show a sample answer
Nachdem ich gegessen hatte, bin ich losgegangen.
The nachdem-clause uses the past perfect (hatte gegessen) and the main clause uses the perfect (bin losgegangen). You could also use the simple past in the main clause: Nachdem ich gegessen hatte, ging ich los.
2Fill in the correct verb form: Bevor ich ______ (gehen), rufe ich dich an.
Show a sample answer
gehe
The present tense gehe is correct because the bevor-clause describes a future or general event. The main clause also uses present (rufe ... an).
3Translate: After she had arrived, she called her mother.
Show a sample answer
Nachdem sie angekommen war, rief sie ihre Mutter an.
The nachdem-clause uses past perfect (war angekommen) and the main clause uses simple past (rief ... an). The separable verb anrufen splits: rief ... an. In spoken German, the perfect (hat sie ihre Mutter angerufen) is also common.
Use bevor for an event that comes later and nachdem for an event that happened first; always put the conjugated verb at the end of the subordinate clause, and use the past perfect in the nachdem-clause.
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