LEARN + KOREAN / Note 33 TOPIK I

Then What (-ㄴ 후에)

후 means “after,” as a standalone noun. Attach -(으)ㄴ to a verb stem in front of it, vowel-ending stems take -ㄴ 후에, consonant-ending stems take -은 후에, and you’ve built “after doing [verb].”

밥을 먹은 후에 약을 먹어요.

babeul meogeun hue yageul meogeoyo.

After eating, I take medicine.

운동을 한 후에 샤워를 해요.

undongeul han hue syaworeul haeyo.

After exercising, I shower.

In Real Life

This is the same -ㄴ/은 ending from 큰 가방, doing a different job. There, it described a fixed trait: 큰 가방, “a big bag,” permanently big. Here, attached to a verb, it marks something already completed: 먹은 (having eaten), 만난 (having met). Same shape, but on a verb it signals past, not a permanent quality.

책을 읽은 후에 음악을 들어요.

chaegeul ilgeun hue eumageul deureoyo.

After reading, I listen to music.

공연을 본 후에 사진을 찍어요.

gongyeoneul bon hue sajineul jjigeoyo.

After watching the performance, I take photos.

손을 씻은 후에 밥을 먹어요.

soneul ssiseun hue babeul meogeoyo.

After washing hands, I eat.

친구를 만난 후에 집에 가요.

chingureul mannan hue jibe gayo.

After meeting a friend, I go home.

In Real Life

후 works alone too, not just glued to a verb. 이 후에 (“after this”) and 삼 년 후에 (“three years later”) both use the same word on its own, attached straight to a noun instead of a verb clause.

Vocabulary

Korean	English
약 yak	medicine
샤워 syawo	shower
공연 gongyeon	performance
씻다 ssitda	to wash
이를 닦다 ireul dakkda	to brush teeth
옷을 입다 oseul ipda	to get dressed
끝나다 kkeutnada	to finish, to end
시작하다 sijakhada	to start
먼저 meonjeo	first, beforehand
그다음에 geudaeume	after that, next
마지막으로 majimageuro	lastly, finally
바로 baro	right away, immediately
다음으로 daeumeuro	next, secondly
우선 useon	first of all
순서 sunseo	order, sequence
단계 dangye	step, stage
이어서 ieoseo	following that, subsequently
마침내 machimnae	finally, at last
잠시 후에 jamsi hue	a little while later
곧이어 godieo	right after, soon following