Japanese Time Clauses: Linking Events with 'Before' and 'After'
Learn to connect two events in Japanese using 〜たあとで (after doing) and 〜るまえに (before doing), so you can say things like 'After I ate, I left.'
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In Japanese, you often need to say that one action happened before or after another. Instead of listing events with 'first' and 'then', you can make one clause subordinate to the other. This lesson teaches two core patterns: 〜たあとで ('after doing ~') and 〜るまえに ('before doing ~'). You will learn which verb form goes before each pattern, how to keep the subject consistent, and how to sound natural in everyday conversation. The focus is on meaning and correct linking, not on long lists of vocabulary.
By the end, you can…
- link two events by saying 'after I did X, I did Y' using 〜たあとで.
- link two events by saying 'before I do X, I do Y' using 〜るまえに.
- choose the correct verb form (た-form or dictionary form) before each time expression.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
ごはんを食べたあとで、出かけました。
After I ate a meal, I went out.
Gohan o tabeta ato de, dekakemashita.
The verb before あとで is in the た-form (past plain form), even though the whole sentence is about the past.
シャワーを浴びるまえに、朝ごはんを食べます。
Before I take a shower, I eat breakfast.
Shawā o abiru mae ni, asagohan o tabemasu.
The verb before まえに stays in the dictionary form (plain non-past), even when the main action is present or future.
仕事が終わったあとで、友だちに電話します。
After work finishes, I will call my friend.
Shigoto ga owatta ato de, tomodachi ni denwa shimasu.
あとで can follow a verb or a noun + の; here it follows the た-form 終わった.
寝るまえに、歯をみがきます。
Before I go to bed, I brush my teeth.
Neru mae ni, ha o migakimasu.
A very common daily routine sentence; まえに marks the earlier action (brushing teeth) relative to the reference point (going to bed).
映画を見たあとで、何をしましたか。
After you watched the movie, what did you do?
Eiga o mita ato de, nani o shimashita ka.
A natural question form; the time clause comes first, then the question.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The key is the verb form before each expression. For 'after', use the た-form (plain past) + あとで: 食べたあとで (after eating), 見たあとで (after watching). For 'before', use the dictionary form (plain non-past) + まえに: 食べるまえに (before eating), 見るまえに (before watching). The main clause can be past, present, or future; it does not change the form inside the time clause. Example: 日本へ行くまえに、日本語を勉強しました。('Before going to Japan, I studied Japanese.')
When to use it
Use these patterns when one action is the reference point for another, not when you simply list steps. Compare: 朝ごはんを食べました。それから、出かけました。('I ate breakfast. Then I went out.') This is a sequence. With 〜たあとで, you make one clause subordinate: 朝ごはんを食べたあとで、出かけました。('After I ate breakfast, I went out.') Use 〜るまえに when the second action happens first in time but you mention it as the reference: 出かけるまえに、朝ごはんを食べました。('Before going out, I ate breakfast.') Keep the subject the same in both clauses for these elementary patterns.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
きのう、何をしましたか。
What did you do yesterday?Kinō, nani o shimashita ka.映画を見たあとで、友だちと晩ごはんを食べました。
After I watched a movie, I ate dinner with a friend.Eiga o mita ato de, tomodachi to bangohan o tabemashita.いいですね。映画を見るまえに、何をしましたか。
That sounds nice. Before you watched the movie, what did you do?Ii desu ne. Eiga o miru mae ni, nani o shimashita ka.映画を見るまえに、図書館で勉強しました。
Before I watched the movie, I studied at the library.Eiga o miru mae ni, toshokan de benkyō shimashita.A little context goes a long way
In everyday Japanese, these time clauses are common in casual and polite speech. The plain forms inside the clause (食べた, 食べる) stay plain even in a polite sentence; politeness is shown at the end of the main clause (食べました, 食べます). In very formal writing, あとで may appear as のちに, but for elementary conversation あとで is the natural choice.
One thing to watch for
Using the dictionary form before あとで, as in 食べるあとで.
Try this instead: Use the た-form before あとで: 食べたあとで. The dictionary form belongs before まえに: 食べるまえに. So say ごはんを食べたあとで、出かけました, not ごはんを食べるあとで、出かけました.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1Complete: 仕事が終わる ___ 、飲みに行きます。('After work finishes, I will go drinking.')
Show a sample answer
仕事が終わったあとで、飲みに行きます。
あとで requires the た-form, so 終わる becomes 終わった. 終わったあとで is correct; 終わるあとで is not used in this pattern.
2Complete: 寝る ___ 、本を読みます。('Before I sleep, I read a book.')
Show a sample answer
寝るまえに、本を読みます。
まえに requires the dictionary form, so 寝る stays 寝る. 寝たまえに would be wrong because まえに does not take the た-form.
3Translate: 'After I met my friend, I went home.'
Show a sample answer
友だちに会ったあとで、家に帰りました。
The first verb 会う becomes 会った before あとで. 友だちに会ったあとで、家に帰りました is natural; the main clause can be past while the time clause keeps the た-form.
Remember the pair: た-form + あとで for 'after', dictionary form + まえに for 'before'. Keep the subject the same and put politeness at the end of the sentence.
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