Lesson 19
There are a few different ways to say “after -ing” in Korean, and through this lesson, we will learn the three most common ways to say it. These three expressions all share a common
structure:
-(으)ㄴ + 다음에
-(으)ㄴ + 후에
-(으)ㄴ + 뒤에
These three mean “after -ing”, but each of the key nouns have a different meaning.
다음 = next time; next
(i.e. 다음 주 = next week)
후 = after
(i.e. 오후 = afternoon)
뒤 = behind; back
(i.e. 등 뒤 = behind the back)
As standalone words, the meanings are quite different, right? However, you can use any of these three words to create a sentence which means “After -ing”. These three expressions are interchangeable, and the meaning does not change no matter which noun is used.
Conjugation
Verb stem + -(으)ㄴ + 다음(or 후/뒤)에 = after -ing
In Lessons 13 and 14, you learned how to conjugate verbs into adjectives using -(으)ㄴ. Here, -(으)ㄴ indicates that the verb was done in the past, which makes the adjective clause “after -ing” past tense.
Ex)
편지를 받다 = to receive a letter
편지를 받은 다음에 = after receiving a letter
편지를 받은 후에 = after receiving a letter
편지를 받은 뒤에 = after receiving a letter
집에 가다 = to go home
집에 간 다음에 = after going home
집에 간 후에 = after going home
집에 간 뒤에 = after going home
책을 읽다 = to read a book
책을 읽은 다음에 = after reading a book
책을 읽은 후에 = after reading a book
책을 읽은 뒤에 = after reading a book
Sample Sentences
영화 본 다음에 우리 커피 마셔요.
= After watching the movie, let’s drink coffee.
점심을 먹은 다음에, 도서관에 갔어요.
= After having lunch, I went to the library.
이거 한 다음에 뭐 할 거예요?
= After doing this, what are you going to do?
그거요? 이거 한 뒤에 할게요.
= That one? I will do it after I do this.
결정한 후에 연락 주세요.
= Contact me after you decide.