자마자, 는 대로, 고 나서, ㄴ/은 후에: as soon as, and after
By Daniel Buckley · 11 minute read · TOPIK 2
Vocabulary
- 끝나다 - to finish, to end
- 도착하다 - to arrive
- 출발하다 - to depart
- 연락하다 - to contact
- 나오다 - to come out
- 결과 - result
- 알리다 - to let know
- 닦다 - to brush, to wipe
- 졸업하다 - to graduate
- 바로 - right away
- 짐 - luggage
"Call me as soon as you land." "We'll eat after the film." Both sentences put two events in order, and that's all these endings do.
What separates them is the gap. 자마자, 자 and 는 대로 leave almost none. 고 나서, ㄴ/은 다음에 and ㄴ/은 후에 only promise that one thing comes after the other.
자마자: as soon as
자마자 goes on the bare stem of a verb, and the second event follows at once. It never changes: the tense goes at the end of the sentence, the way it does with 아/어서. No 았/었 before 자마자.
Making 자마자
- Stem plus 자마자, for every verb.오다 → 오자마자먹다 → 먹자마자듣다 → 듣자마자
Pick a verb
오다오오자마자
집에 오자마자 잤어요.
As soon as (I) came home, (I) slept.
아침에 일어나자마자 커피를 마셔요.
In the morning, as soon as (I) get up, (I) drink coffee.
수업이 끝나자마자 친구를 만날 거예요.
As soon as class finishes, (I) will meet friend.
한국에 도착하자마자 전화하세요.
As soon as (you) arrive in Korea, please call.
버스를 타자마자 잠이 들었어요.
As soon as (I) got on bus, (I) fell asleep.
친구가 저를 보자마자 웃었어요.
As soon as friend saw me, (they) laughed.
As the examples show, the sentence can be past, present or future, and it can end in a command. That makes 자마자 the safest choice while you're learning.
자: the written version
Drop 마자 and you have 자, which means nearly the same but belongs to stories and the news. It usually reports something that happened, and unlike 자마자 it doesn't lead into commands or suggestions. You'll read this one more than you'll say it.
문을 열자 찬 바람이 들어왔다.
(I) opened door, and at once cold wind came in.
버스가 서자 사람들이 내렸다.
Bus stopped, and at once people got off.
아이가 엄마를 보자 웃었다.
Child saw mother, and at once laughed.
※ These are in the plain written style from speech levels. Don't confuse this 자 with the "let's" of 가자. That one ends a sentence, and this one joins two clauses.
는 대로: as soon as, looking ahead
는 대로 also means "as soon as", but it looks forward. You're saying what will happen once something is done: a plan, a promise or a request. That often gives it a businesslike sound, and it usually isn't used to report the past.
Making 는 대로
- Stem plus 는 대로.끝나다 → 끝나는 대로먹다 → 먹는 대로
- Stem ends in ㄹ: the ㄹ drops.만들다 → 만드는 대로
집에 도착하는 대로 전화하세요.
As soon as (you) arrive home, please call.
회의가 끝나는 대로 출발할 거예요.
As soon as meeting finishes, (we) will depart.
일이 끝나는 대로 연락하겠습니다.
As soon as work finishes, (I) will contact (you).
결과가 나오는 대로 알려 주세요.
As soon as result comes out, please let (me) know.
※ 대로 has another meaning, "the way" or "as": 말한 대로, as I said. That's in Degree and likeness.
고 나서: after finishing
~고 already puts two things in order. 고 나서 adds that the first was finished before the second started, so it's the form to reach for when finishing is the point. Treat it as one unit on the bare stem.
Pick a verb
먹다먹먹고 나서
밥을 먹고 나서 이를 닦아요.
After (I) eat meal, (I) brush teeth.
숙제를 하고 나서 게임을 했어요.
After (I) did homework, (I) played game.
영화를 보고 나서 저녁을 먹을 거예요.
After (we) see movie, (we) will eat dinner.
책을 다 읽고 나서 친구한테 줬어요.
After (I) read book all, (I) gave (it) to friend.
※ If the second action happens at the place you went to, use 아/어서: 학교에 가서 공부해요. Going somewhere usually isn't a job you finish.
ㄴ/은 다음에 and ㄴ/은 후에
다음 means next and 후 means after, and you've already put 후에 after nouns: 수업 후에. To use either one after a verb, put the verb in its ㄴ/은 form. The first event is over by the time of the second, so it's ㄴ/은 whether the whole sentence is past, present or future.
Making ㄴ/은 다음에 and ㄴ/은 후에
- The ㄴ/은 form from {lesson 32|/grammar/neun-geot-noun-clauses}, then 다음에 or 후에.가다 → 간 다음에먹다 → 먹은 후에만들다 → 만든 다음에
Pick a verb
가다가간 후에
밥을 먹은 다음에 커피를 마셔요.
After (I) eat meal, (I) drink coffee.
일이 끝난 다음에 만나요.
After work finishes, (let's) meet.
손을 씻은 다음에 드세요.
After (you) wash hands, please eat.
졸업한 후에 한국에 갈 거예요.
After (I) graduate, (I) will go to Korea.
이 약은 밥을 먹은 후에 드세요.
This medicine, please take after (you) eat meal.
한국에 온 후에 한국어를 배우기 시작했어요.
After (I) came to Korea, (I) started to learn Korean.
기 전에 is the opposite: 먹기 전에, before eating. They don't match, though. There's no 기 후에, and 후에 takes ㄴ/은.
All three "afters" usually fit the same sentence: 먹고 나서, 먹은 다음에 and 먹은 후에. To my ear 고 나서 leans on having finished, 다음에 is the most conversational, and 후에 is a little more formal and common in writing. 뒤에, from time words, works like 후에 here too.
Which one?
한국에 ___ 친구한테 전화했어요.
As soon as I arrived in Korea, I called a friend.
결과가 ___ 알려 주세요.
Please let me know as soon as the result comes out.
밥을 ___ 이를 닦아요.
After I eat, I brush my teeth.
숙제를 ___ 게임을 했어요.
I played a game after finishing my homework.
문을 ___ 찬 바람이 들어왔다.
The moment I opened the door, a cold wind came in.
Listen and type
1 / 3
Play it as often as you like.
In a conversation
- A
공항에 도착하자마자 전화하세요.
At airport as soon as arrive, please call.
- B
네, 짐을 찾은 다음에 바로 전화하겠습니다.
Yes, luggage after collect, right away will call.
- A
호텔에는 언제 가요?
To hotel when go?
- B
점심을 먹고 나서 갈 거예요.
Lunch after eat, will go.
- A
호텔에 도착하는 대로 사진 좀 보내 주세요.
At hotel as soon as arrive, photo please send.
Common mistakes
집에 왔자마자 잤어요.
집에 오자마자 잤어요.
자마자 takes no 았/었. The end of the sentence carries the tense.
일이 끝났는 대로 연락하겠습니다.
일이 끝나는 대로 연락하겠습니다.
는 대로 takes no 았/었 either. It goes straight on the stem.
밥을 먹기 후에 커피를 마셔요.
밥을 먹은 후에 커피를 마셔요.
기 전에 has no 기 후에 to match it. "After" takes the ㄴ/은 form.
One sentence in each group is wrong. Tap it.
Check yourself
Quick check
1 / 6
집에 ___ 잤어요. (오다, use 자마자) I went to bed as soon as I got home.
Stem plus 자마자.
Summary
| Dictionary | Stem | 자마자 |
|---|---|---|
| 가다 | 가 | 가자마자 |
| 먹다 | 먹 | 먹자마자 |
| 만들다 | 만들 | 만들자마자 |
| 듣다 | 듣 | 듣자마자 |
| 하다 | 하 | 하자마자 |
| Dictionary | Stem | 고 나서 |
|---|---|---|
| 가다 | 가 | 가고 나서 |
| 먹다 | 먹 | 먹고 나서 |
| 만들다 | 만들 | 만들고 나서 |
| 듣다 | 듣 | 듣고 나서 |
| 하다 | 하 | 하고 나서 |
| Dictionary | Stem | ㄴ/은 후에 |
|---|---|---|
| 가다 | 가 | 간 후에 |
| 먹다 | 먹 | 먹은 후에 |
| 만들다 | 만들 | 만든 후에 |
| 듣다 | 듣 | 들은 후에 |
| 하다 | 하 | 한 후에 |
What each one says
- 자마자: as soon as, in any tense.
- 자: as soon as, in stories and news.
- 는 대로: as soon as, for what's still to come.
- 고 나서: after finishing.
- ㄴ/은 다음에, ㄴ/은 후에: after. 후에 is a little more formal.
Now you can say
집에 오자마자 잤어요.
As soon as (I) came home, (I) slept.
일이 끝나는 대로 연락하겠습니다.
As soon as work finishes, (I) will contact (you).
졸업한 후에 한국에 갈 거예요.
After (I) graduate, (I) will go to Korea.
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