After: 後

We already know one way of saying “after” in Japanese: by using the te form.

コーヒーを飲のんで、仕事しごとを始はじめました。

I drank coffee and then started work.

If we want to emphasis that A happened after B then we can add から to the te form of the first clause.

コーヒーを飲のんでから、仕事しごとを始はじめました。

After I drank coffee I started work.

We can also use the following structure.

【Prior Action】後あと【で or に】【Subsequent Action】

The verb in the prior action must be in the standard simple past tense. This gives rise to the same “issue” we saw when using “before”; namely, that the tense of the first clause is not dependent on the time of the action. This means need to form sentences with literal translations like, “After I drank tea I will phone my friend” to get the correct grammar in Japanese.

お茶ちゃを飲のんだ後あとで、友達ともだちに電話でんわします。

After I drink tea I will phone my friend.

試験しけんが終おわった後あとに、受験者じゅけんしゃは同時どうじに部屋へやを出ました。

After the examination finished the candidates left the room at the same time.

To be clear, the following is incorrect.

お茶ちゃを飲のむ後あとで、友達ともだちに電話でんわします。(✘)

We use the possessive particle to connection 後 to nouns.

飲のみ会かいの後あと、すぐに帰かえってきて寝ねました。

I came back home and slept straight after the drinks.

〜後あとで vs 〜後あとに

This is actually quite a frustrating one to explain because in the many cases both are natural. Used on its own to mean “later” 後で is typically used.

後あとで電話でんわします。

後あとに電話でんわします。(✗)

I’ll call you later.

Generally speaking, で is used to signify the simple chronology of events. に is used to emphasis that the succeeding clause is a natural result consequence of the preceding.

食たべた後あとで、友達ともだちに電話でんわする。

食べた後に、友達に電話でんわする。(△)

After I’ve eaten I will call my friend.

雨あめが降ふった後あとで、晴はれた。(✗)

雨あめが降ふった後あとに、晴はれた。

After rain fell the weather cleared.

～後あとで vs 〜てから

Compared with 後あとで, ～てから places importance on the following three things:

1: Order, i.e. that B must happen after A.

日程にっていを確認かくにんしてから、ホテルを予約よやくする。

日程にっていを確認かくにんした後あとで、ホテルを予約よやくする。(✗)

Book the hotel after you’ve confirmed the itinerary.

Clearly the fact that you will book the hotel after checking the itinerary is not a coincidence; order is important and so ～てから is the more natural sentence.

2: Intention of the prior action.

けんかしてから、謝あやまる。(✗)

けんかした後あとで、謝あやまる。

Apologise after an argument.

The first sentence suggests that you intended to have the argument and then apologise; whereas the second is more natural because it simply states that the apology happened after the argument without insinuating any prior intention (with is presumably the case).

3: Continuity of the final action.

結婚けっこんしてから、ずっと東京とうきょうに住すんでいる。

結婚けっこんした後あとで、ずっと東京とうきょうに住すんでいる。(△)

Since we got married we’ve always been living in Tokyo.