pirms / pēc tam, kad

Before and After a Clause

Level 3

Before a whole clause, pirms works on its own: Pirms tu aizej, paēd! (Eat before you go!). Pēc cannot start a clause, so after becomes pēc tam, kad, literally after that, when: Pēc tam, kad es pabeidzu darbu, es gāju mājās (After I finished work, I went home).

How It Works

1. Pirms + clause. Pirms introduces the action that comes later:

  • Pirms tu aizej, paēd! (Eat before you go!)
  • Nomazgā rokas, pirms tu ēd. (Wash your hands before you eat.)

For something still to come, you will hear both the present and the future after pirms: Pirms tu aizbrauksi, piezvani man (Call me before you leave).

2. Pēc tam, kad + clause. The clause names the action that comes first:

  • Pēc tam, kad es pabeidzu darbu, es gāju mājās. (After I finished work, I went home.)
  • Pēc tam, kad tu pabeigsi skolu, tu varēsi strādāt pie mums. (After you finish school, you will be able to work with us.)

For an event still to come, use the future in the clause, just as after kad.

3. Shorter options.

  • Kad alone is often enough: Kad es pabeidzu darbu, es gāju mājās.
  • A noun can replace the clause. An activity noun in -šana works well: pirms ēšanas (before eating), pēc ēšanas (after eating).
  • Pēc tam on its own means afterwards, and pirms tam means before that: Mēs paēdām pusdienas, un pēc tam gājām pastaigāties.

Examples (5)

  1. Pirms tu aizej, paēd!

    Eat before you go!

    Pirms starts the clause directly, with no extra word.

  2. Nomazgā rokas, pirms tu ēd.

    Wash your hands before you eat.

  3. Pēc tam, kad es pabeidzu darbu, es gāju mājās.

    After I finished work, I went home.

    Here the comma comes before kad, and a second comma closes the clause.

  4. Pēc tam, kad tu pabeigsi skolu, tu varēsi strādāt pie mums.

    After you finish school, you will be able to work with us.

    The event is still to come, so the clause uses the future pabeigsi.

  5. Mēs paēdām pusdienas, un pēc tam gājām pastaigāties.

    We had lunch and afterwards went for a walk.

    Pēc tam on its own means afterwards. It does not start a clause here.

Common Mistakes

  • Starting a clause with pēc alone, like English after.

    Pēc es pabeidzu darbu, es gāju mājās.
    Pēc tam, kad es pabeidzu darbu, es gāju mājās.

    Pēc is only a preposition. Before a clause, it needs tam, kad. Kad alone also works: Kad es pabeidzu darbu, es gāju mājās.

  • Using the present for an event that is still to come.

    Pēc tam, kad tu pabeidz skolu, tu varēsi strādāt pie mums.
    Pēc tam, kad tu pabeigsi skolu, tu varēsi strādāt pie mums.

    English says after you finish, but standard Latvian uses the future for an event that has not happened yet: pabeigsi.

How It Connects

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

pirms / pēc tam, kadLevel 3Before and After a Clause

Learn This First

Before and after clauses build on the prepositions.

Words in This Pattern

kad