Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar

expressing the relationship ‘after’ in a single sentence

42.2

• In Mandarin, the clause that ends with 以前 yǐqián must come first in the sentence. In
  English, the order of the clauses in the ‘before’ sentence is not fixed. Either can come first
  in the sentence. Compare the following sentences.

Good English Good Mandarin

Before Mom went to work

she ate breakfast.

妈妈上班以前吃了早饭。

媽媽上班以前吃了早飯。

Māma shàng bān yǐqián chī le zǎofàn.

Good English Bad Mandarin

Mom ate breakfast before

she went to work.

*妈妈吃了早饭上班以前。

媽媽吃了早飯上班以前。

Māma chī le zǎofàn shàng bān yǐqián.

42.2 Expressing the relationship ‘after’ in a single sentence

In Mandarin, the relationship of ‘after’ is expressed using some combination of the word

以后/以後 yǐhòu ‘after,’ perfective 了 le, and adverbs, usually 就 jiù or 才 cái.

These markers of sequence can occur together in a single sentence to express the relationship

of sequence, or they can occur independently.

Native speakers of Mandarin differ in their preference for the use of these markers of sequence.

C6.9, 37.2, 42.2.2

42.2.1 indicating sequence with 以后/以後 yHhòu ‘after’

以后/以後 yǐhòu ‘after’ is used to express the following relationship: ‘after an event occurs,

another event occurs.’

event 1 以后/以後 yǐhòu, event 2

after event 1 , event 2

我们吃了饭以后，就去看电影。

我們吃了飯以後，就去看電影。

Wǒmen chī le fàn yǐhòu, jiù qù kàn diànyǐng.

After we eat, we will go to a movie.

我下了课以后，就回家。

我下了課以後，就回家。

Wǒ xià le kè yǐhòu, jiù huí jiā.

After I get out of class, I go home.

孩子睡了觉以后，父母就看电视。

孩子睡了覺以後，父母就看電視。

Háizi shuì le jiào yǐhòu, fùmǔ jiù kàn diànshì.

After the children go to sleep, the parents watch television.

To signal that a sequence occurred in the past, follow the verb of the second clause with 了 le,

using the guidelines for the placement of perfective 了 le presented in Chapter 17.

C17.1.1.1