Overview
Japanese uses 前 (まえ - mae) for "before" and 後 (あと - ato) for "after" to express temporal relationships between events or actions.
食べる前
"before eating"
食べた後
"after eating"
前 (mae) - Before
Formation with Verbs
Use the dictionary form (present tense) before 前:
Verb (dictionary form) + 前
食べる前 - before eating
行く前 - before going
寝る前 - before sleeping
Formation with Nouns
Noun + の + 前
食事の前 - before the meal
会議の前 - before the meeting
学校の前 - before school
Common Patterns with 前
寝る前に歯を磨く
"I brush my teeth before sleeping"
出かける前に電話した
"I called before going out"
テストの前に勉強する
"I study before the test"
食事の前に手を洗う
"I wash my hands before meals"
後 (ato) - After
Formation with Verbs
Use the た form (past tense) before 後:
Verb (た form) + 後
食べた後 - after eating
行った後 - after going
見た後 - after seeing
Formation with Nouns
Noun + の + 後
食事の後 - after the meal
会議の後 - after the meeting
学校の後 - after school
Common Patterns with 後
食べた後、歯を磨く
"After eating, I brush my teeth"
帰った後、電話してください
"Please call after you get home"
映画を見た後、レストランに行った
"After watching the movie, we went to a restaurant"
会議の後で話しましょう
"Let's talk after the meeting"
Important Differences
Verb Forms
前: Dictionary form (present)
食べる前 - before eating
後: た form (past)
食べた後 - after eating
This is consistent - even for future actions:
明日行く前に電話する
"I'll call before going tomorrow"
明日行った後で会おう
"Let's meet after going tomorrow"
Particles: に vs で
に (more common)
寝る前に
"before sleeping"
食べた後に
"after eating"
で (also acceptable)
寝る前で
"before sleeping"
食べた後で
"after eating"
Note: Both are correct, but に is more common. で can emphasize the timing more.
Time Expressions
[Time] + 前
3時間前 - 3 hours ago
2日前 - 2 days ago
1週間前 - 1 week ago
1年前 - 1 year ago
1時間前に電話した
"I called 1 hour ago"
2日前に会った
"I met (them) 2 days ago"
[Time] + 後
3時間後 - 3 hours later
2日後 - 2 days later
1週間後 - 1 week later
1年後 - 1 year later
1時間後に来る
"I'll come 1 hour later"
2日後に会いましょう
"Let's meet 2 days later"
Before/After Places
〜の前 (in front of)
駅の前 - in front of the station
家の前 - in front of the house
学校の前 - in front of the school
駅の前で待っている
"I'm waiting in front of the station"
Context determines meaning:
- Temporal: 学校の前に勉強する "study before school"
- Spatial: 学校の前に車がある "there's a car in front of the school"
Common Conversations
Example 1: Daily Routine
A: いつ歯を磨きますか？
"When do you brush your teeth?"
B: 寝る前と、起きた後に磨きます
"I brush before sleeping and after waking up"
A: 朝ごはんの前？後？
"Before or after breakfast?"
B: 朝ごはんの後です
"After breakfast"
Example 2: Meeting Plans
A: いつ会いましょうか？
"When shall we meet?"
B: 会議の後はどうですか？
"How about after the meeting?"
A: 何時に終わりますか？
"What time does it end?"
B: 3時に終わります。3時半に会いましょう
"It ends at 3. Let's meet at 3:30"
Example 3: Past Events
A: いつ日本に来ましたか？
"When did you come to Japan?"
B: 1年前に来ました
"I came 1 year ago"
A: 来る前に日本語を勉強しましたか？
"Did you study Japanese before coming?"
B: はい、2年間勉強しました
"Yes, I studied for 2 years"
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Wrong verb form
Wrong: 食べた前 ❌
Right: 食べる前 ✓
"before eating"
Wrong: 食べる後 ❌
Right: 食べた後 ✓
"after eating"
Mistake 2: Using wrong form for future
Wrong: 明日行った前 ❌
Right: 明日行く前 ✓
"before going tomorrow"
Note: Use dictionary form for 前 even for future
Mistake 3: Confusing spatial and temporal
学校の前に勉強する
"study before school" (temporal)
学校の前に車がある
"there's a car in front of school" (spatial)
Context makes the meaning clear!
Special Expressions
〜する前に (before doing)
出かける前に
"before going out"
寝る前に
"before sleeping"
食べる前に
"before eating"
〜した後で (after doing)
帰った後で
"after returning"
見た後で
"after seeing"
聞いた後で
"after hearing"
〜の前に (before [noun])
試験の前に
"before the exam"
パーティーの前に
"before the party"
出発の前に
"before departure"
〜の後で (after [noun])
授業の後で
"after class"
仕事の後で
"after work"
食事の後で
"after the meal"
Comparing Before and After
Sequential Actions
Before then after:
勉強する前に準備して、勉強した後で休む
"I prepare before studying, and rest after studying"
Time Sequence
1週間前に予約して、1週間後に行く
"I'll make a reservation 1 week before and go 1 week later"
Relative Time References
前 (ago)
Looking back from now:
2日前 - 2 days ago (from now)
1時間前 - 1 hour ago
昨日の3時間前 - 3 hours before yesterday
後 (later)
Looking forward from a point:
2日後 - 2 days later (from a reference point)
1時間後 - 1 hour later
明日の3時間後 - 3 hours after tomorrow
Politeness Levels
Casual
食べる前
"before eating"
食べた後
"after eating"
Polite
食べる前に
"before eating"
食べた後で
"after eating"
Practice Sentences
Before (前)
寝る前に歯を磨く
"I brush my teeth before sleeping"
出かける前に電話する
"I'll call before going out"
食事の前に手を洗う
"I wash my hands before meals"
テストの前に勉強した
"I studied before the test"
After (後)
食べた後、歯を磨く
"I brush my teeth after eating"
映画を見た後、レストランに行った
"After watching the movie, we went to a restaurant"
帰った後で電話してください
"Please call after you get home"
授業の後で会いましょう
"Let's meet after class"
Time Ago (前)
3時間前に電話した
"I called 3 hours ago"
1週間前に日本に来た
"I came to Japan 1 week ago"
2日前に会った
"I met (them) 2 days ago"
Time Later (後)
2時間後に来る
"I'll come 2 hours later"
3日後に出発する
"I'll depart 3 days later"
1年後に結婚した
"I got married 1 year later"
Sequential Actions
朝起きた後、シャワーを浴びる前に運動する
"After waking up in the morning, I exercise before taking a shower"
勉強する前に準備して、勉強した後で休む
"I prepare before studying and rest after studying"
Related Grammar Points
- 〜てから (te-kara) - After doing
- Time Words - Time expressions
- Duration - Time periods
- Sequential Actions - Ordering events
- While/During - Simultaneous actions
- Te-form - Connecting actions