-(으)ㄴ 후에 - After doing

-(으)ㄴ 후에 expresses doing something after another action. It means "after doing" or "after" in English, indicating temporal sequence.

Structure

Verb stem + -(으)ㄴ 후에

Breakdown:

• -(으)ㄴ: Past modifier (indicates completed action)
• 후: After
• 에: Time particle

Literal meaning: "At the time after [having done]"

Formation Rules

Stem Ending in Vowel or ㄹ: -ㄴ 후에

Vowel stems:

• 가다 → 간 후에 (after going)
• 하다 → 한 후에 (after doing)
• 오다 → 온 후에 (after coming)
• 되다 → 된 후에 (after becoming)

ㄹ stem (drop ㄹ, add -ㄴ):

• 만들다 → 만든 후에 (after making)
• 살다 → 산 후에 (after living)
• 놀다 → 논 후에 (after playing)
• 팔다 → 판 후에 (after selling)

Stem Ending in Consonant: -은 후에

Consonant stems:

• 먹다 → 먹은 후에 (after eating)
• 읽다 → 읽은 후에 (after reading)
• 듣다 → 들은 후에 (after listening/hearing)
• 앉다 → 앉은 후에 (after sitting)
• 입다 → 입은 후에 (after wearing)

Basic Usage

Sequence of Actions

Action 1 happens, then Action 2:

• 밥을 먹은 후에 설거지해요 (I wash dishes after eating)
• 숙제를 한 후에 놀아요 (I play after doing homework)
• 샤워한 후에 자요 (I sleep after showering)
• 영화를 본 후에 집에 가요 (I go home after watching the movie)

Time Reference

After a specific event:

• 수업이 끝난 후에 (after class ends)
• 해가 진 후에 (after the sun sets)
• 졸업한 후에 (after graduating)
• 결혼한 후에 (after getting married)

Common Usage Patterns

Daily Routines

After daily activities:

• 일어난 후에 얼굴을 씻어요 (I wash my face after waking up)
• 먹은 후에 이를 닦아요 (I brush my teeth after eating)
• 운동한 후에 샤워해요 (I shower after exercising)
• 일한 후에 쉬어요 (I rest after working)

Sequential Tasks

Completing tasks in order:

• 요리한 후에 먹어요 (I eat after cooking)
• 공부한 후에 복습해요 (I review after studying)
• 청소한 후에 정리해요 (I organize after cleaning)
• 계획을 세운 후에 실행해요 (I execute after making a plan)

Life Events

After major events:

• 졸업한 후에 취직했어요 (I got a job after graduating)
• 결혼한 후에 이사했어요 (I moved after getting married)
• 한국에 온 후에 한국어를 배웠어요 (I learned Korean after coming to Korea)

With Different Subjects

Same Subject

Same person does both actions:

• 샤워한 후에 잤어요 (I slept after showering)
• 공부한 후에 TV를 봤어요 (I watched TV after studying)

Different Subjects

Different people/things:

• 비가 온 후에 날씨가 좋아졌어요 (The weather got better after it rained)
• 친구가 간 후에 청소했어요 (I cleaned after my friend left)
• 해가 진 후에 별이 보여요 (Stars appear after the sun sets)

Tense Usage

Present/Future Context

After doing (generally/in future):

• 먹은 후에 항상 커피를 마셔요 (I always drink coffee after eating - habitual)
• 내일 만난 후에 연락할게요 (I'll contact you after we meet tomorrow - future)

Past Context

After doing (past):

• 먹은 후에 산책했어요 (I took a walk after eating - past)
• 영화 본 후에 카페에 갔어요 (I went to a cafe after watching the movie - past)

Note: The main verb shows the tense, not -(으)ㄴ 후에

Negative Forms

After Not Doing

안/못 + verb + -(으)ㄴ 후에:

This pattern is grammatically awkward and rarely used. Better to restructure:

• Instead of: 안 먹은 후에 (after not eating)
• Better: 먹지 않고 (without eating)

Time Expressions with -(으)ㄴ 후에

Specific Time After

Number + time unit + 후에:

• 10분 후에 (10 minutes later / in 10 minutes)
• 한 시간 후에 (one hour later / in one hour)
• 하루 후에 (one day later / in one day)
• 일주일 후에 (one week later / in one week)

Usage:

• 30분 후에 다시 오세요 (Come back in 30 minutes)
• 1년 후에 한국에 갈 거예요 (I'll go to Korea in one year)

Common Expressions

Daily Life

• 먹은 후에 (after eating)
• 일어난 후에 (after waking up)
• 간 후에 (after going)
• 온 후에 (after coming)
• 끝난 후에 (after finishing)
• 시작한 후에 (after starting)

Activities

• 운동한 후에 (after exercising)
• 공부한 후에 (after studying)
• 일한 후에 (after working)
• 쉰 후에 (after resting)
• 요리한 후에 (after cooking)

Events

• 졸업한 후에 (after graduating)
• 결혼한 후에 (after getting married)
• 이사한 후에 (after moving)
• 여행한 후에 (after traveling)

Alternative Forms

-고 나서 (After doing)

More casual, emphasizes completion:

• 먹고 나서 (after eating - casual)
• 끝나고 나서 (after finishing - casual)

Note: Covered in detail in "-고 나서" section

-아/어서 (Because/After)

Can indicate sequence but mainly causation:

• 먹어서 배불러요 (I'm full because I ate)

Note: Less clear for pure sequence; -(으)ㄴ 후에 is clearer

Example Sentences

Daily Routines

• 아침을 먹은 후에 학교에 가요 (I go to school after eating breakfast)
• 잠을 잔 후에 기분이 좋아요 (I feel good after sleeping)
• 샤워한 후에 옷을 입어요 (I get dressed after showering)
• 숙제를 한 후에 게임해요 (I play games after doing homework)

Work and Study

• 회의가 끝난 후에 점심을 먹어요 (I eat lunch after the meeting ends)
• 보고서를 쓴 후에 제출해요 (I submit it after writing the report)
• 강의를 들은 후에 질문해요 (I ask questions after listening to the lecture)

Life Changes

• 대학을 졸업한 후에 취직했어요 (I got a job after graduating college)
• 한국에 온 후에 많이 배웠어요 (I learned a lot after coming to Korea)
• 결혼한 후에 행복해요 (I'm happy after getting married)

Example Dialogues

Dialogue 1: Making Plans

A: 영화 본 후에 뭐 할까요?
(What should we do after watching the movie?)

B: 카페에 가서 얘기해요.
(Let's go to a cafe and talk.)

Dialogue 2: Daily Routine

A: 보통 언제 운동해요?
(When do you usually exercise?)

B: 일한 후에 헬스장에 가요.
(I go to the gym after work.)

Dialogue 3: Scheduling

A: 언제 연락할 거예요?
(When will you contact me?)

B: 집에 도착한 후에 바로 연락할게요.
(I'll contact you right after arriving home.)

Dialogue 4: Life Changes

A: 졸업한 후에 뭐 할 거예요?
(What will you do after graduating?)

B: 대학원에 갈까 생각 중이에요.
(I'm thinking about going to graduate school.)

Common Mistakes

❌ Incorrect: 먹기 후에

Using -기 form (before form)

✅ Correct: 먹은 후에

Use -(으)ㄴ form (past modifier)

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❌ Incorrect: 가은 후에

Adding extra syllable

✅ Correct: 간 후에

Simple past form

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❌ Incorrect: 먹은 후

Missing particle (though sometimes acceptable)

✅ Correct: 먹은 후에

Include 에 particle (more common)

Usage Notes

후 vs 후에

후 (after - time later):

• 10분 후 (in 10 minutes - can drop 에 in time expressions)
• 1시간 후 (in 1 hour)

후에 (after doing - with verb):

• 먹은 후에 (after eating - usually include 에)
• 간 후에 (after going)

Both forms exist but 후에 is more common with verbs

Word Order

Korean: After clause + Main clause

• 밥을 먹은 후에 설거지해요 (After eating, I wash dishes)

English: Can be flexible

• After eating, I wash dishes
• I wash dishes after eating

Comparison with Similar Expressions

-(으)ㄴ 후에 vs -기 전에

-(으)ㄴ 후에 (after):

• 먹은 후에 이를 닦아요 (I brush my teeth after eating)

-기 전에 (before):

• 먹기 전에 손을 씻어요 (I wash my hands before eating)

-(으)ㄴ 후에 vs -고 나서

-(으)ㄴ 후에 (after - neutral):

• 먹은 후에 쉬어요 (I rest after eating)

-고 나서 (after - emphasizes completion):

• 먹고 나서 쉬어요 (I rest after eating - emphasizes finishing eating)

Note: -고 나서 is slightly more casual

-(으)ㄴ 후에 vs -아/어서

-(으)ㄴ 후에 (pure sequence):

• 집에 간 후에 샤워했어요 (After going home, I showered - clear sequence)

-아/어서 (cause or sequence):

• 집에 가서 샤워했어요 (I went home and showered - less clear if causal or sequential)

Summary Table

Pattern	Meaning	Example
Verb + -(으)ㄴ 후에	After doing	먹은 후에
Number + 후에	[Time] later	10분 후에
-(으)ㄴ 후에 + Verb	After doing, [do verb]	먹은 후에 자요
-(으)ㄴ 후에 + Adjective	After doing, [be adjective]	먹은 후에 피곤해요

Key Takeaways

• ✅ Past modifier: Use -(으)ㄴ (completed action)
• ✅ Opposite of -기 전에: After vs. before
• ✅ Sequence indicator: Action 1 completes, then Action 2
• ✅ Very common: Essential for daily conversation
• ✅ Usually include 에: -ㄴ 후에 / -은 후에 (not just 후)
• ✅ Tense in main clause: -(으)ㄴ 후에 doesn't change for tense

-(으)ㄴ 후에 is crucial for expressing temporal sequences in Korean. Master this pattern alongside -기 전에 to naturally talk about the order of actions and events in your daily life.