JLPT N5 · Before, after and when · 50 of 60

After with てから

～てから ~ te kara After doing

て-form + から (kara) means "after doing A, B". It puts A first: 宿題をしてから遊びます, I play after I do my homework.

Level: JLPT N5, beginner
Type: Before, after and when
English links: time clauses, after + -ing, future in time clauses, since

What it means

Take the て-form of a verb and add から: 食べてから, after eating. The first action finishes, then the second one happens. 宿題をしてから、遊びます: I will play after I do my homework.

This から is the "from" から, as in "from that point on". It is not the から of "because". That one follows です or a plain form, never the て-form.

The て-form alone also links actions in order: 起きて、顔を洗って…. てから is stronger. It makes the order the point: first this, and only then that.

It can also mean "since": 日本に来てから、三年になります. It has been three years since I came to Japan.

How to build it

Pattern	How it works
食べます → 食べて → 食べてから tabemasu → tabete → tabete kara	Make the て-form, add から.
書きます → 書いて → 書いてから kakimasu → kaite → kaite kara	The usual て-form changes apply.
A てから、B A te kara, B	A finishes first. The tense goes on B, at the end.
Verb てから + length of time verb te kara + length of time	来てから三年: three years since I came.

Examples

宿題をしてから、遊びます。 shukudai o shite kara, asobimasu. I'll play after I do my homework.
手を洗ってから、食べてください。 te o aratte kara, tabete kudasai. Please wash your hands first, then eat.
授業が終わってから、職員室に行きます。 jugyou ga owatte kara, shokuinshitsu ni ikimasu. I'll go to the staff room after class finishes.
家に帰ってから、晩ご飯を作りました。 ie ni kaette kara, bangohan o tsukurimashita. I made dinner after I got home.
日本に来てから、三年になります。 nihon ni kite kara, sannen ni narimasu. It has been three years since I came to Japan.

How English says it

"After" can take a noun ("after class"), an -ing verb ("after eating"), or a clause ("after I eat"). English also uses "first... then": "Do your homework first, then play."

In an "after" clause about the future, use the present simple: "I'll play after I finish my homework", not "after I will finish".

For the "since" meaning, English needs the present perfect or "It has been": "It has been three years since I came to Japan." "I have lived here for three years."

Why it can make English hard

The て-form has no tense, so students must choose one in English. For the future, many students put "will" in the "after" clause: "after I will finish".
Students may use "After," alone at the start of a sentence: "I eat dinner. After, I take a bath." It is common in speech, but "After that" or "Then" is safer in writing.
The "since" use is hard. You may hear "From I came to Japan, three years", built from the "from" meaning of から.

Mistakes you will hear

I'll call you after I will finish work. I'll call you after I finish work. In a time clause about the future, use the present simple.
I eat dinner. After, I take a bath. I eat dinner. After that, I take a bath. "After" alone sounds unfinished in writing. Use "After that" or "Then".
From I came to Japan, three years. It has been three years since I came to Japan. The から here means "since", and English needs the present perfect.

In the classroom

Daily routine chain: student A says "I get up." Student B says "After I get up, I wash my face." Student C carries on from B's last action. Keep it going round the room.
Contrast 前に and てから on one timeline. Mark two actions and ask for both sentences: "I wash my hands before I eat" and "I eat after I wash my hands."
Ask "How long have you lived in...?" and give the answer frame "It has been ... since I came to ...". Many students will want to say "from", so model it a few times.

Practice

Try each one, then open it to check.

1. Fill the gap: 本を読ん＿＿＿、寝ます。 (I go to bed after I read a book.)

Answer: でから

読みます has the て-form 読んで. Add から.
2. Translate: 晩ご飯を食べてから、テレビを見ました。

Answer: I watched TV after I ate dinner. (or: After dinner, I watched TV.)

てから is "after". The tense comes from the end of the Japanese sentence: past.
3. A student writes "After I will clean my room, I will go out." Fix it.

Answer: After I clean my room, I will go out.

The "after" clause uses the present simple, even for the future.
4. Which から means "because"? (a) 雨ですから (b) 雨がやんでから

Answer: (a)

から after です is "because". から after the て-form is "after".