-ㄴ 다음에/후에
After -ing
-ㄴ 다음에/후에 connects two actions, showing the second action happens after the first one is finished. It's like saying 'after doing X, I did Y'.
How It Works
This pattern explicitly marks that the action in the first clause is fully completed before the action in the second clause starts. Both 다음에 and 후에 mean 'after' and can be used interchangeably in most situations, though 후에 can sometimes feel slightly more formal or be preferred in written Korean.
Conjugation Rules:
1. Verb stem ends in a vowel: Add -ㄴ 다음에/후에.
- 보다 (to see) → 본 다음에/후에
- 가다 (to go) → 간 다음에/후에
2. Verb stem ends in a consonant: Add -은 다음에/후에.
- 먹다 (to eat) → 먹은 다음에/후에
- 읽다 (to read) → 읽은 다음에/후에
3. Verb stem ends in ㄹ: Drop the ㄹ and add -ㄴ 다음에/후에.
- 만들다 (to make) → 만든 다음에/후에
- 살다 (to live) → 산 다음에/후에
This pattern is only used with action verbs. It cannot be attached to adjectives (descriptive verbs) or 이다. The tense of the sentence is determined by the final verb in the second clause.
Examples (4)
- 영화를 본 다음에 저녁을 먹었어요.
After watching the movie, I ate dinner.
Word by Word: Movie watch after dinner ate.
- 숙제를 다 끝낸 후에 친구를 만날 거예요.
After I finish all my homework, I'm going to meet a friend.
Word by Word: Homework all finish after friend will meet.
- 한국에 온 다음에 한국어를 배우기 시작했어요.
After coming to Korea, I started learning Korean.
Word by Word: To Korea come after Korean to learn started.
- 회의가 끝난 후에 이메일을 보내 주세요.
Please send the email after the meeting ends.
Word by Word: Meeting ends after email please send.
Common Mistakes
Using the pattern with adjectives (descriptive verbs).
Not Quite날씨가 좋은 다음에 산책했어요.Better날씨가 좋아서 산책했어요.-ㄴ 다음에/후에 is used for a sequence of actions. Adjectives like 좋다 (to be good) describe a state, not an action. To express a reason, use a pattern like -아/어서 ('because it was good weather, I went for a walk').
Using the present tense noun modifier -는 instead of the past tense -ㄴ/은.
Not Quite밥을 먹는 다음에 약을 드세요.Better밥을 먹은 다음에 약을 드세요.This pattern requires the first action to be completed. Therefore, you must use the past tense noun modifier -ㄴ/은 to indicate completion, not the present tense modifier -는.
Learn This First
To express 'after doing', you need modifier forms and temporal expressions.
Related Patterns
- -고 나서After Doing, And Then
Very similar to -ㄴ 다음에/후에, also meaning 'after doing'. Both emphasize the completion of the first action. They are often interchangeable. For example, '밥을 먹고 나서' is almost identical to '밥을 먹은 다음에'.
- -고And, And Then
Can also link actions sequentially ('and then'). However, -고 is more general and can simply list actions, while -ㄴ 다음에/후에 specifically clarifies that the first action is fully finished before the second one begins.
- 전에Before
The direct opposite, meaning 'before doing'. It is used with the nominalizer -기 (e.g., 영화를 보기 전에 - 'before watching the movie').
- -자마자As Soon as
Means 'as soon as'. This implies the second action happens immediately after the first, with no delay. -ㄴ 다음에/후에 allows for a time gap between the two actions.
- -ㄴ/은Adjective Noun Modifier
This is the past-tense noun-modifying form, which is the grammatical foundation of this pattern. Understanding how to change a verb into this form (e.g., 보다 → 본) is essential for using -ㄴ 다음에/후에 correctly.