Japanese Grammar 18 – Before, After & Sequence · N5

📋 Formation Reference — Before, After & Sequence

How to express "before," "after," and sequential actions. Press ▶ to hear examples.

BEFORE — ～まえに

Pattern	Formation	Example	▶
～まえに ~ mae ni	Verb dictionary form + まえに	たべるまえに taberu mae ni before eating
のまえに no mae ni	Noun + の + まえに	しけんのまえに shiken no mae ni before the exam

AFTER — ～あとで / ～てから

Pattern	Formation	Example
～あとで ~ ato de	Verb た-form + あとで	たべたあとで tabeta ato de after eating
～てから ~ te kara	Verb て-form + から	たべてから tabete kara after eating (then…)
のあとで no ato de	Noun + の + あとで	しけんのあとで shiken no ato de after the exam

SEQUENCE MARKERS

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
まず	mazu	First of all
つぎに	tsugi ni	Next
そして	soshite	And then
さいごに	saigo ni	Finally / Last
V1て、V2	V1-te, V2	Do V1 and then V2 (chain)

🗣 Example Sentences

See まえに, あとで, てから and sequence markers in context. Press ▶ to hear each sentence.

BEFORE — まえに

Example

ねるまえにはをみがきます。

Neru mae ni ha wo migakimasu.

I brush my teeth before sleeping.

[dict. form] まえに [main action]

neru mae ni ha wo migakimasu

→ "Before sleeping, I brush my teeth."

Example

しゅくだいをするまえに、おやつをたべた。

Shukudai wo suru mae ni, oyatsu wo tabeta.

I ate a snack before doing homework.

AFTER — あとで & てから

あとで

ごはんをたべたあとで、さんぽします。

Gohan wo tabeta ato de, sanpo shimasu.

After eating, I take a walk.

[た-form] あとで [main action]

tabeta ato de sanpo shimasu

→ "After eating, I take a walk."

てから

てをあらってから、たべましょう。

Te wo aratte kara, tabemashou.

Let's eat after washing our hands.

[て-form] から [main action]

aratte kara tabemashou

→ "After washing hands, let's eat."

SEQUENCE MARKERS & て-CHAINS

Directions

まず、みぎにまがってください。

Mazu, migi ni magatte kudasai.

First, please turn right.

Directions

つぎに、まっすぐいってください。

Tsugi ni, massugu itte kudasai.

Next, please go straight.

Directions

さいごに、ひだりにまがります。

Saigo ni, hidari ni magarimasu.

Finally, you turn left.

て-chain

おきて、かおをあらって、あさごはんをたべました。

Okite, kao wo aratte, asagohan wo tabemashita.

I woke up, washed my face, and ate breakfast.

📋 Quick-Reference Cheatsheet ▼

まえに uses dictionary form — never た-form

✅ CORRECT

ねるまえに

neru mae ni

before sleeping

Dictionary form (ねる) before まえに.

❌ COMMON MISTAKE

ねたまえに

neta mae ni

Intended: before sleeping

た-form before まえに is wrong. Use dictionary form.

あとで uses た-form — never dictionary form

✅ CORRECT

たべたあとで

tabeta ato de

after eating

た-form (たべた) before あとで.

❌ COMMON MISTAKE

たべるあとで

taberu ato de

Intended: after eating

Dictionary form before あとで is wrong. Use た-form.

てから vs あとで — timing emphasis

てから — immediate sequence

てをあらってからたべる

te wo aratte kara taberu

eat right after washing hands

てから stresses the action happens directly after.

あとで — relaxed timing

てをあらったあとでたべる

te wo aratta ato de taberu

eat after washing hands (at some point)

あとで allows more time between the two actions.

Sequence marker order: まず → つぎに → そして → さいごに

✅ CORRECT ORDER

まず、てをあらいます。つぎに、たべます。さいごに、かたづけます。

Mazu, te wo araimasu. Tsugi ni, tabemasu. Saigo ni, katazukemasu.

First wash hands. Next eat. Finally tidy up.

Use this order for giving instructions or directions.

💡 NOTE

そして is optional between steps

soshite

and then (adds a softer connection)

そして can replace つぎに for a more narrative feel.

A — Flashcards

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B — Listen & Choose the Meaning

Press ▶ to hear each phrase, then choose the correct English meaning.

D — Listen & Write in Romaji

Press ▶ to hear each phrase, then type what you heard in romaji.

💡 Tip: Long vowels → double the vowel (おう = ou / oo). Double consonants → write them twice (きって = kitte).

📖 Grammar Deep Dive ▼

Noun + の + まえに / あとで

When the subject of the "before/after" clause is a noun (not a verb), insert の between the noun and まえに or あとで.

  • しけんのまえに → before the exam
  • ごはんのあとで → after the meal
  • しごとのまえに → before work

[NOUN] のまえに / あとで

[noun] no mae ni / ato de

→ "Before/after [noun]"

しけんのまえによくねてください。

Shiken no mae ni yoku nete kudasai.

Please sleep well before the exam.

Time noun + まえに — relative past

まえに can attach to a time expression to mean "ago." This is a different use from the verb pattern — it does not require a verb or の.

  • さんねんまえに → three years ago
  • いちじかんまえに → one hour ago
  • みっかまえに → three days ago

[TIME] まえに

[time] mae ni

→ "[Time] ago"

さんねんまえににほんにきました。

Sannen mae ni Nihon ni kimashita.

I came to Japan three years ago.

てから vs あとで — nuance difference

Both express "after doing X, do Y," but they have subtle differences:

• てから: the second action follows directly and as a result of the first. Closer sequence.
• あとで: the second action happens at some point after the first. More relaxed timing.

てから cannot be used when the main clause describes a past state — it must be an action.

しゅくだいをしてからあそびます。

Shukudai wo shite kara asobimasu.

I'll play after finishing homework (right after).

て-form verb chains

The て-form of a verb can chain multiple actions in sequence. Each action is connected with て, and the final verb carries the tense and politeness for the whole sentence.

• Natural speech: 2–4 verbs in a chain
• Too many て-forms in a row sounds unnatural — use そして or sentence breaks instead

V1-て V2-て V3 [tense]

te-form te-form final verb

→ "Did V1, then V2, then V3."

おきて、かおをあらって、あさごはんをたべました。

Okite, kao wo aratte, asagohan wo tabemashita.

I woke up, washed my face, and ate breakfast.

📝 Key Vocabulary ▼

Japanese	Romaji	English
は	ha	teeth
みがく	migaku	to brush / polish
かお	kao	face
あらう	arau	to wash
おやつ	oyatsu	snack
みぎ	migi	right (direction)
ひだり	hidari	left (direction)
まっすぐ	massugu	straight ahead
まがる	magaru	to turn
しけん	shiken	exam / test