nadat

After (Nadat)

Level 2

Nadat means after and sends the verb to the end: Ons het gerus nadat ons geëet het.

How It Works

1. Verb at the end:

  • Ons het gerus nadat ons geëet het. (We rested after we had eaten.)
  • Nadat sy die e-pos gelees het, het sy my gebel. (After she read the email, she called me.)

2. Usually het + participle. The nadat-action is already complete, so the clause usually ends in participle + het, even when the main clause is about the present or the future: Nadat jy geëet het, kan jy gaan speel. (After you've eaten, you can go and play.) A clause that describes a finished state can use is: nadat die vergadering klaar is (after the meeting is over).

3. Nadat or ná? Nadat needs a clause with a subject and a verb. Before a noun or a time, use the preposition ná: ná die ete (after the meal), ná vyfuur (after five o'clock). English uses after for both, but Afrikaans uses two different words.

4. No -ing form. English after eating has no word-for-word Afrikaans version. Use a full clause: nadat ek geëet het.

5. Word order. When nadat starts the sentence, the main clause begins with its verb (see starting with a subordinate clause).

Examples (6)

  1. Ons het gerus nadat ons geëet het.

    We rested after we had eaten.

    Word by Word: We have rested after we eaten have.

  2. Nadat sy die e-pos gelees het, het sy my gebel.

    After she read the email, she called me.

    Word by Word: After she the email read has, has she me called.

    The nadat-clause comes first, so the main clause starts with het.

  3. Nadat jy geëet het, kan jy gaan speel.

    After you've eaten, you can go and play.

    Word by Word: After you eaten have, can you go play.

  4. Hy het beter gevoel nadat hy geslaap het.

    He felt better after he had slept.

    Word by Word: He has better felt after he slept has.

  5. Ek bel jou nadat die vergadering klaar is.

    I'll call you after the meeting is over.

    Word by Word: I call you after the meeting finished is.

    Klaar is describes a finished state, so no het is needed.

  6. Nadat hulle getrou het, het hulle Kaapstad toe getrek.

    After they got married, they moved to Cape Town.

    Word by Word: After they married have, have they Cape Town to moved.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting het before the participle.

    Nadat ons het geëet, het ons gerus.
    Nadat ons geëet het, het ons gerus.

    In the nadat-clause, the participle comes first and het goes to the very end.

  • Using nadat before a noun.

    Nadat die ete het ons gerus.
    Ná die ete het ons gerus.

    Nadat needs a clause with a subject and a verb. Before a noun, use the preposition ná.

  • Putting the subject first in the main clause after a nadat-clause.

    Nadat sy die e-pos gelees het, sy het my gebel.
    Nadat sy die e-pos gelees het, het sy my gebel.

    The nadat-clause fills first place, so the main verb must come next.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

nadatLevel 2After (Nadat)

Learn This First

Nadat places a completed earlier action in a subordinate clause.

Words in This Pattern

nadat