...之後

After

Level 2Sounds Like . . . zi1 hau6

In Cantonese, the word for "after" is 之後 (zi1 hau6). Unlike English, it is placed after the action or time period it refers to.

How It Works

1. Word Order
When linking two events, 之後 (zi1 hau6) acts as a post-position. While English says "After I eat," Cantonese says "I eat-finish-meal after" (我食完飯之後). Note that 之後 can also be used as a standalone adverb meaning "afterwards." Like other time words, it can be placed either at the beginning of a sentence (e.g., 之後，我哋去睇戲 - Afterwards, we went to watch a movie) or between the subject and the verb (e.g., 我哋之後去睇戲). However, in spoken Cantonese, native speakers heavily favor 然之後 (jin4 zi1 hau6) or 跟住 (gan1 zyu6) over just 之後 when starting a new sentence to mean 'And then...' or 'Afterwards...'.

2. Common Attachments

  • Clauses: [Subject + Verb + Object] + 之後. Example: 我返到屋企之後 (ngo5 faan1 dou3 uk1 kei2 zi1 hau6) - "After I get home."
  • Time Durations: [Time Period] + 之後. In this context, it often translates to "in" or "later." Example: 兩個鐘之後 (loeng5 go3 zung1 zi1 hau6) - "In two hours / Two hours later."
  • Time Points: [Specific Time] + 之後. This means "after" a certain time. Example: 三點之後 (saam1 dim2 zi1 hau6) - "After 3 o'clock."
  • Nouns/Events: [Event] + 之後. Example: 比賽之後 (bei2 coi3 zi1 hau6) - "After the match."

3. Using with Completion Markers
Cantonese heavily relies on aspect markers in time clauses for sequential, completed events. To show a specific action is finished before the next begins, attach the terminative particle 完 (jyun4) or the perfective marker 咗 (zo2) directly to the verb (before the object). For example, 食完飯之後 (sik6 jyun4 faan6 zi1 hau6) or 食咗飯之後 (sik6 zo2 faan6 zi1 hau6) are much more natural than just 食飯之後 for a one-off event. However, using the bare verb is perfectly natural and correct for habitual or general actions (e.g., 每次食飯之後 - every time after eating). When marking completion, 完 is often the most natural choice because it emphasizes finishing the first action, whereas 咗 simply marks that it happened. In casual spoken Cantonese, 之後 is frequently dropped altogether when the completion marker 完 is used (e.g., 食完飯去睇戲 - After eating, go watch a movie). The 完 alone does the heavy lifting of 'after'.

4. 之後 vs 之前
The direct opposite of 之後 is 之前 (zi1 cin4 - before). It follows the exact same post-positional rules. For example, 食飯之前 (sik6 faan6 zi1 cin4) means "Before eating."

5. 之後 vs 以後
Be careful not to confuse 之後 (after a specific event or time) with 以後 (ji5 hau6), which means "from now on" or "in the future." Using 以後 after an event (e.g., 食飯以後) is understandable, but in everyday spoken Cantonese 之後 is the usual choice. Note that this preference for 之後 applies mainly to spoken Cantonese; in formal Standard Written Chinese, 以後 is frequently used to mean 'after an event' (e.g., 畢業以後 - after graduation).

6. Register
之後 is standard in both spoken and written Cantonese. In casual, fast spoken Cantonese, the 之 is frequently dropped, leaving just 後 (hau6) (e.g., 兩個鐘後 - two hours later, 三點後 - after 3 o'clock). In casual speech, people often start the next sentence with 然之後 (jin4 zi1 hau6) or 跟住 (gan1 zyu6) to mean "and then."

Examples (5)

  1. 佢起身之後就睇報紙。

    After he gets up, he reads the newspaper.

    Word by Word: He get up after then read newspaper.

    Notice how 之後 (zi1 hau6) follows the action 'get up' (hei2 san1).

  2. 我哋食完飯之後去行街吖。

    Let's go shopping after we finish eating.

    Word by Word: We eat-finish meal after go walk street [particle].

    The particle 完 (jyun4) is used here to emphasize the completion of the meal.

  3. 三個字之後喺門口等。

    Wait at the door in fifteen minutes.

    Word by Word: Three units-of-5-mins after at door-mouth wait.

    When used with time, 之後 (zi1 hau6) indicates how much time will pass before the event.

  4. 做完功課之後可以打機。

    After finishing homework, you can play video games.

    Word by Word: Do-finish work-task after can hit machine.

    之後 (zi1 hau6) marks the condition that must be met before the permission (可以) applies.

  5. 比賽之後我哋去飲嘢。

    After the match, we are going for a drink.

    Word by Word: Match after we go drink thing.

    Here, 之後 (zi1 hau6) is attached directly to a noun (比賽 - match).

Common Mistakes

  • Putting 之後 at the start for English ‘after I ...’.

    Different Meaning之後我食完飯，睇電視。
    我食完飯之後睇電視。

    之後我食完飯，睇電視 is a good sentence, but 之後 here means ‘afterwards’: ‘Afterwards I finish eating and watch TV.’ To mean ‘after I finish eating’, put 之後 (zi1 hau6) after the clause: 我食完飯之後睇電視.

  • Confusing 之後 with 然後 (jin4 hau6).

    我食完飯然後，我會睇電視。
    我食完飯之後，我會睇電視。

    之後 (zi1 hau6) is a post-position that ends the first clause. 然後 (jin4 hau6) is a conjunction that starts the second clause. You cannot use 然後 as a post-position. You can say 'A 之後, B' or 'A, 然後 B'.

How It Connects

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...之後Level 2After

Learn This First

To use '...之後' (after), learners must understand that Cantonese temporal markers often follow the clause they describe. Familiarity with basic word order and the use of '就' to link sequential actions helps in forming natural sentences.

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之后