Korean Time Clauses: Using -기 전에 and -ㄴ 후에 for Before and After
Learn to connect events in Korean using -기 전에 (before) and -ㄴ 후에 (after) to form complex sentences like 'After I ate, I left.'
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In Korean, you can link events by using subordinate time clauses with -기 전에 (before) and -ㄴ 후에 (after). These are more precise than simply saying 'first' and 'then' because they show the exact relationship between two actions in one sentence. For example, 'After I ate, I left' becomes '밥을 먹은 후에 나갔어요.' In this lesson, you will learn how to form these clauses with common verbs and use them in everyday conversation.
By the end, you can…
- form 'before' clauses using -기 전에 with action verbs.
- form 'after' clauses using -ㄴ 후에 with action verbs.
- combine two events into one sentence using these time clauses.
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밥을 먹기 전에 손을 씻어요.
I wash my hands before eating a meal.
bap-eul meok-gi jeon-e son-eul ssis-eo-yo.
Use -기 전에 after the verb stem to mean 'before doing' something.
밥을 먹은 후에 나갔어요.
After I ate, I went out.
bap-eul meok-eun hu-e na-gass-eo-yo.
Use -ㄴ 후에 after the verb stem to mean 'after doing' something. Here, 먹다 becomes 먹은.
숙제를 하기 전에 TV를 봐요.
I watch TV before doing homework.
suk-je-reul ha-gi jeon-e ti-bi-reul bwa-yo.
The clause with -기 전에 can come at the beginning or end of the sentence.
숙제를 한 후에 잤어요.
After I did my homework, I slept.
suk-je-reul han hu-e jass-eo-yo.
Here, 하다 becomes 한 before 후에. This is a regular conjugation, not an irregular one.
영화를 보기 전에 팝콘을 샀어요.
Before watching the movie, I bought popcorn.
yeong-hwa-reul bo-gi jeon-e pap-kon-eul sass-eo-yo.
Use this pattern to talk about preparations before an event.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
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Useful pattern
To say 'before' doing something, attach -기 전에 to the verb stem: verb stem + 기 전에. For example, 먹다 (to eat) becomes 먹기 전에 (before eating). To say 'after' doing something, attach -ㄴ 후에 to the verb stem. For vowel-ending stems, add -ㄴ 후에: 보다 (to see) becomes 본 후에 (after seeing). For consonant-ending stems, add -은 후에: 먹다 becomes 먹은 후에 (after eating). Note that 하다 becomes 한 후에. These clauses can come at the beginning or end of a sentence, but the main clause usually comes last.
When to use it
Use these patterns when you want to show the order of two events in one sentence, rather than listing them separately with 'first' and 'then'. For example, instead of saying '먼저 밥을 먹었어요. 그리고 나갔어요.' (First I ate. And then I left.), you can say '밥을 먹은 후에 나갔어요.' (After I ate, I left.). Similarly, 'Before I go, I will call' is '가기 전에 전화할 거예요.' These are common in both spoken and written Korean, and they make your speech more fluent.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
주말에 뭐 했어요?
What did you do on the weekend?ju-mal-e mwo haet-eo-yo?친구를 만나기 전에 운동했어요.
Before meeting a friend, I exercised.chin-gu-reul man-na-gi jeon-e un-dong-haess-eo-yo.그다음에 뭐 했어요?
What did you do after that?geu-da-eum-e mwo haet-eo-yo?친구를 만난 후에 같이 영화를 봤어요.
After meeting my friend, we watched a movie together.chin-gu-reul man-nan hu-e ga-chi yeong-hwa-reul bwass-eo-yo.A little context goes a long way
In Korean, time clauses with -기 전에 and -ㄴ 후에 are used in both polite and casual speech. The politeness level is determined by the main verb ending, not the time clause. For example, in polite speech, you say '먹은 후에 갔어요,' while in casual speech, you might say '먹은 후에 갔어.' These patterns appear in both written and spoken Korean, including everyday conversation. When speaking casually with close friends, you might simply use '먹고 나서' (after eating) instead of '먹은 후에,' but both are correct.
One thing to watch for
Using -기 전에 with the past tense, as in '먹었기 전에' (before ate).
Try this instead: The verb before -기 전에 is always in the base form, regardless of the tense of the sentence. So 'before eating' is '먹기 전에,' not '먹었기 전에.' For example, '밥을 먹기 전에 손을 씻었어요.' (I washed my hands before eating.)
Your turn
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1How do you say 'After I meet my friend, I will study' using -ㄴ 후에?
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친구를 만난 후에 공부할 거예요.
The verb 만나다 (to meet) has a vowel stem, so it becomes 만난 후에. The main clause uses the future tense 공부할 거예요.
2Change 'I eat breakfast. Then I go to school.' into one sentence using -기 전에 or -ㄴ 후에.
Show a sample answer
아침을 먹은 후에 학교에 가요.
Here, the order is eat then go, so we use -ㄴ 후에. 먹다 becomes 먹은 후에. Alternatively, you could say 학교에 가기 전에 아침을 먹어요, which means 'Before going to school, I eat breakfast.' Both are correct.
3What is the correct form: '보다' + -ㄴ 후에?
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본 후에
보다 has a vowel stem, so you add -ㄴ 후에, resulting in 본 후에. This means 'after seeing'.
Use -기 전에 for 'before' and -ㄴ 후에 for 'after' to connect two events in one Korean sentence. Remember to keep the verb in the time clause in the base form for -기 전에, and conjugate it with -ㄴ/은 for -ㄴ 후에.
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