-den önce / -den sonra

Before and After a Noun

Level 2

Noun + -DAn + önce (Before [Noun])
Noun + -DAn + sonra (After [Noun])

How It Works

This pattern is the standard way to express temporal sequences involving nouns or pronouns.

1. The Suffix Choice:
The suffix follows two-way vowel harmony and consonant assimilation:

  • -den / -dan: Used after vowels or voiced consonants (e.g., okuldan, öğleden).
  • -ten / -tan: Used after voiceless consonants (p, ç, t, k, s, ş, h, f) (e.g., dersten, işten).

2. Word Order:
Unlike English, where we say 'After the lesson,' Turkish says 'Lesson-from after' (Dersten sonra).

3. Time vs. Space:
These words are primarily used for time. If you want to describe physical location (like 'in front of the house'), you must use a different construction called a possessive compound (e.g., evin önünde).

4. Pronouns:
When using personal pronouns, they also take the ablative case: benden sonra (after me), sizden önce (before you).

Examples (5)

  1. Yemekten önce ellerini yıka.

    Wash your hands before the meal.

    Word by Word: Meal-from before hands-your-acc wash.

    'Yemek' ends in 'k' (voiceless), so we use '-ten' instead of '-den'.

  2. Dersten sonra kütüphaneye gideceğim.

    I will go to the library after the lesson.

    Word by Word: Lesson-from after library-to go-will-I.

    'Ders' ends in 's' (voiceless), so we use '-ten'.

  3. Toplantıdan sonra konuşalım.

    Let's talk after the meeting.

    Word by Word: Meeting-from after let-us-talk.

    'Toplantı' ends in a vowel, so we use '-dan' following vowel harmony.

  4. Sizden önce kimse gelmedi.

    Nobody came before you.

    Word by Word: You-from before nobody come-did-not.

    Personal pronouns like 'siz' also take the ablative case in this pattern.

  5. İşten sonra yorgun hissediyorum.

    I feel tired after work.

    Word by Word: Work-from after tired feel-I-am.

    'İş' ends in 'ş', requiring the '-ten' variant.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the nominative (plain) case instead of the ablative.

    Okul sonra sinemaya gittik.
    Okuldan sonra sinemaya gittik.

    After a place or an event, 'sonra' needs the noun to have the -DAn suffix to act as a reference point. (Time amounts like 'iki yıl' are the exception, as the next mistake shows.)

  • Confusing 'before' (reference point) with 'ago'.

    İki yıldan önce buraya geldim.
    İki yıl önce buraya geldim.

    When saying 'ago', use the plain noun (İki yıl önce). Use the ablative (-DAn önce) only when you mean 'before [a specific event]'.

  • Using English word order.

    Sonra dersten kütüphaneye gittim.
    Dersten sonra kütüphaneye gittim.

    'Sonra dersten kütüphaneye gittim' is grammatical, but it means 'Then I went to the library from class.' To say 'after the lesson,' 'önce' and 'sonra' must follow the noun they modify.

How It Connects

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

-den önce / -den sonraLevel 2Before and After a Noun

Learn This First

To use '-den önce' and '-den sonra', you must first understand how to apply the ablative case suffix (-den/-dan) to nouns. This requires knowledge of two-way vowel harmony for suffix selection and consonant assimilation (fıstıkçı şahap) to handle nouns ending in voiceless consonants.

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Words in This Pattern

öncesonra-den