---
vocabulary:
nouns:
- ko: 설탕
audio: https://www.howtostudykorean.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Lesson24v2.mp3
en: sugar
examples:
- ko: 이 식품에는 **설탕**이 안 들어가요
en: There is a no **sugar** in this (food) product
- ko: 커피에 **설탕**을 안 넣어도 돼요
en: I/you don't need to put **sugar** in my/your coffee
- ko: 경찰관
audio: https://www.howtostudykorean.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Lesson24v1.mp3
en: policeman
examples:
- ko: "**경찰관**들이 그 장소에 파견되었어요"
en: "**Police officers** were dispatched to the area"
- ko: 저는 그 사람을 살리려고 **경찰관**을 불렀어요
en: I called the **policeman** in order to save that person
- ko: 경찰서
audio: https://www.howtostudykorean.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Lesson24v3.mp3
en: police station
examples:
- ko: 경찰관들은 **경찰서**에 돌아왔어요
en: The police officers returned to the **police station**
- ko: "**경찰서**에 가기 전에 그것에 대해 엄마랑 얘기했어요"
en: Before I went to the **police station**, I talked about that with my mom
- ko: 구름
audio: https://www.howtostudykorean.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Lesson24v4.mp3
en: cloud
examples:
- ko: "**구름**이 5분 전에 걷혔어요"
en: The **clouds** cleared up 5 minutes ago
- ko: 새는 **구름** 위에 날고 있어요
en: The bird is flying above the **clouds**
- ko: "**구름**이 걷힌 후에 날씨가 좋았어요"
en: After the **clouds** cleared up, the weather was nice
- ko: 경쟁
audio: https://www.howtostudykorean.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Lesson24v5.mp3
en: competition
examples:
- ko: 일자리가 하나만 있어서 **경쟁**은 심할 거예요
en: The **competition** will be extreme because there is only one job available
- ko: 경쟁자
audio: https://www.howtostudykorean.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Lesson24v6.mp3
en: competitors
examples:
- ko: 저는 **경쟁자**를 이겼어요
en: I beat the **competitor**
- ko: 피
audio: https://www.howtostudykorean.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Lesson24v7.mp3
en: blood
examples:
- ko: 저는 **피**를 휴지로 닦았어요
en: I wiped the **blood** with a tissue
- ko: 구두
audio: https://www.howtostudykorean.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Lesson24v8.mp3
en: shoes, boots
examples:
- ko: 그 여자의 **구두**가 예뻐요
en: That girl's **boots** are beautiful
- ko: 목욕
audio: https://www.howtostudykorean.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Lesson24v9.mp3
en: bath
examples:
- ko: 오늘 너무 힘들어서 저는 따뜻한 **목욕**을 하고 싶어요
en: Today was really difficult, so I want to take a warm **bath**
- ko: 번호
audio: https://www.howtostudykorean.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Lesson24vocabnumber.mp3
en: number
examples:
- ko: 각 자리에 **번호**가 쓰여 있어요
en: There is a **number** written on each seat
- ko: 전화번호
audio: https://www.howtostudykorean.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Lesson24v11.mp3
en: phone number
examples:
- ko: 새로운 핸드폰을 사고 **전화번호**를 바꿨어요
en: After buying a new phone, I changed my **phone number**
- ko: 열쇠
audio: https://www.howtostudykorean.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Lesson24v12.mp3
en: key
notes: The pronunciation of this word is closer to "열쐬"
examples:
- ko: 저는 친구의 집에서 **열쇠**를 잃어버렸어요
en: I lost my **keys** at a friend's house
- ko: 저는 **열쇠**를 잃어버렸어요
en: I lost my **keys**
- ko: 저는 **열쇠**를 어딘가(에) 두었어요
en: I left my **keys** somewhere
- ko: 수박
audio: https://www.howtostudykorean.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Lesson24v13.mp3
en: watermelon
examples:
- ko: "**수박**은 한국에서 너무 비싸요"
en: "**Watermelons** in Korea are too expensive"
- ko: 과자
audio: https://www.howtostudykorean.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Lesson24v14.mp3
en: candy, cookies, snacks
examples:
- ko: 애기들은 **과자**를 많이 먹어요
en: Babies eat a lot of **candy/snacks**
- ko: 양복
audio: https://www.howtostudykorean.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Lesson24v15.mp3
en: suit
notes: Literally "Western clothes"
examples:
- ko: 저는 보통 까만 **양복**을 입어요
en: I usually wear black **suits**
- ko: "**양복**을 입은 후에 몸이 따뜻해졌어요"
en: After I put on a **suit**, my body got warm
---
# Lesson 24: Before, After, Since, Within (전/후/이래로/이내)
## Vocabulary
### Nouns
설탕 = sugar
Common Usages:
- 무설탕 = sugar-free
- 설탕이 들어가 있다 = to contain sugar
Example:
- 이 식품에는 **설탕**이 안 들어가요 = There is a no **sugar** in this (food) product
- 커피에 **설탕**을 안 넣어도 돼요 = I/you don’t need to put **sugar** in my/your coffee
경찰관 = policeman
Common Usages:
- 경찰관이 되고 싶다 = to want to become a police officer
Example:
- **경찰관**들이 그 장소에 파견되었어요 = **Police officers** were dispatched to the area
- 저는 그 사람을 살리려고 **경찰관**을 불렀어요 = I called the **policeman** in order to save that person
경찰서 = police station
Common Usages:
- 경찰서로 연행하다 = to take somebody to the police station
Example:
- 경찰관들은 **경찰서**에 돌아왔어요 = The police officers returned to the **police station**
- **경찰서**에 가기 전에 그것에 대해 엄마랑 얘기했어요 = Before I went to the **police station**, I talked about that with my mom
구름 = cloud
Common Usages:
- 구름을 걷히다 = for clouds to clear up
Example:
- **구름**이 5분 전에 걷혔어요 = The **clouds** cleared up 5 minutes ago
- 새는 **구름** 위에 날고 있어요 = The bird is flying above the **clouds**
- **구름**이 걷힌 후에 날씨가 좋았어요 = After the **clouds** cleared up, the weather was nice
경쟁 = competition
Common Usages:
- 경쟁자 = competitor (competing person)
- 경쟁사 = competitor (competing company)
Example:
- 일자리가 하나만 있어서 **경쟁**은 심할 거예요 = The **competition** will be extreme because there is only one job available
경쟁자 = competitors
Example:
- 저는 **경쟁자**를 이겼어요 = I beat the **competitor**
피 = blood
Common Usages:
- 피를 흘리다 = to be bleeding
- 피를 뽑다 = to take blood
- 코피 = nosebleed
Example:
- 저는 **피**를 휴지로 닦았어요 = I wiped the **blood** with a tissue
구두 = shoes, boots
Common Usages:
- 구두를 신다 = to put on shoes/boots
Example:
- 그 여자의 **구두**가 예뻐요 = That girl’s **boots** are beautiful
목욕 = bath
Common Usages:
- 목욕탕 = public bath house
- 목욕하다 = to take a bath
Example:
- 오늘 너무 힘들어서 저는 따뜻한 **목욕**을 하고 싶어요 = Today was really difficult, so I want to take a warm **bath**
번호 = number
Common Usages:
- 전화번호 = phone number
- 등록번호 = registration number
- 등번호 = the number on a player’s back (in sports)
Example:
- 각 자리에 **번호**가 쓰여 있어요 = There is a **number** written on each seat
전화번호 = phone number
Common Usages:
- 전화번호는 뭐에요? = What is your phone number?
- 전화번호가 기억 안 나다 = to not remember a phone number
Example:
- 새로운 핸드폰을 사고 **전화번호**를 바꿨어요 = After buying a new phone, I changed my **phone number**
열쇠 = key
The pronunciation of this word is closer to “열쐬”
Common Usages:
- 열쇠고리 = key chain
Example:
- 저는 친구의 집에서 **열쇠**를 잃어버렸어요 = I lost my **keys** at a friend’s house
- 저는 **열쇠**를 잃어버렸어요 = I lost my **keys**
- 저는 **열쇠**를 어딘가(에) 두었어요 = I left my **keys** somewhere
수박 = watermelon
Common Usages:
- 수박 겉 핥기 = an idiom that describes something “superficial”
Example:
- **수박**은 한국에서 너무 비싸요 = **Watermelons** in Korea are too expensive
과자 = candy, cookies, snacks
Common Usages:
- 전통 과자 = traditional candy
Example:
- 애기들은 **과자**를 많이 먹어요 = Babies eat a lot of **candy/snacks**
양복 = suit
Common Usages:
- 양복을 입다 = to wear a suit
- 양복을 맞추다 = to get a suit tailored
Notes:
Literally “Western clothes”
Example:
- 저는 보통 까만 **양복**을 입어요 = I usually wear black **suits**
- **양복**을 입은 후에 몸이 따뜻해졌어요 = After I put on a **suit**, my body got warm
### Verbs
날다 = to fly
날다 follows the ㄹ irregular
Common Usages:
날개 = wing
날아가다 = to fly away
Example:
새는 구름 위에 **날**고 있어요 = The bird is **flying** above the clouds
걷히다 = to clear up (in weather)
Common Usages:
구름이 걷히다 = for clouds to clear up (go away)
안개가 걷히다 = for fog to clear up (go away)
Example:
- 구름은 5분 전에 **걷혔어요** = The clouds **cleared up** 5 minutes ago
구경하다 = to sight see
Common Usages:
구경할래? = Shall we look around?
Example:
저는 유럽에서 **구경**을 많이 **했어요** = I did a lot of **sight-seeing** in Europe
저는 이 가게에서 잠깐 **구경하고** 싶어요 = I want to **look around** for a bit in this store
그곳에서 **구경하는** 사람이 많아요 = There are a lot of people **sightseeing** in that place
뒤처지다 = to fall behind
Common Usages:
경기에서 뒤처지다 = to fall behind in a game
Example:
그 학생은 또래보다 영어실력이 **뒤처지**고 있어요 = That student is **falling behind** his peers in English ability
앞지르다 = to pass, to overtake
앞지르다 follows the 르 irregular
Common Usages:
상대방을 앞지르다 = to pass/go ahead of an opponent
Example:
경찰차는 우리를 빨리 **앞질렀어요** = The police car quickly **overtook** (**passed**) us
감독하다 = to supervise
The pronunciation of this word is closer to “감도카다”
Common Usages:
감독관 = proctor
시험감독 = supervise/proctoring an exam
Example:
학생들이 시험을 보는 동안 저는 그들을 **감독했어요** = I **supervised** the students while they wrote an exam
느끼다 = to feel
Common Usages:
느낌 = feeling
느껴지다 = to be felt
Example:
저는 그녀가 저의 머리를 만지는 것을 **느꼈어요** = I **felt** her touch my hair
치우다 = to remove, to clear away
Common Usages:
방을 치우다 = to clean up/organize a room
눈을 치우다 = to remove/clean up snow
물건을 치우다 = to remove an object
Example:
저는 집 앞에 있는 눈을 다 **치웠어요** = I **cleaned up** the snow in-front of the house
엄마가 나한테 방을 좀 **치우**라고 했어 = My mom told me to **clean up** my room a bit
책상이 너무 복잡해서 책을 조금 **치워**야 돼요 = I need to **clean up (organize)** the books a bit because my desk is very messy/unorganized
지우다 = to wipe off, to erase
Common Usages:
화장을 지우다 = to wash one’s makeup off
얼룩을 지우다 = to get rid of a stain
자기 전에 화장을 **지워야** 돼요
= Before one sleeps, they should **remove** their makeup
그 얼룩을 그 바지에 못 **지울** 것 같아요
= You probably won’t be able to **get rid** of that stain on those pants
선생님이 수업을 시작하기 전에 전 선생님이 칠판에 쓴 글을 다 **지웠어요**
= Before starting the class, the teacher **erased** the words/writing that the previous teacher wrote on the board
두다 = to put, to set, to place something
Common Usages:
놔두다 = to put something down
두고 가다 = to set something down, and then go
Example:
그 책을 아무데나 **두세요** = **Put** that book **down** anywhere!
느껴지다 = to be felt
Notes: Usually \~게 is attached to an adjective and then 느껴지다 follows that construction.
Example:
저는 기숙사에서 외롭게 **느껴졌어요** = I **felt** lonely at the dorm
그 여행은 길게 **느껴졌어요** = That trip **felt** like a long time
### Adjectives
달다 = to be sweet
달다 follows the ㄹ irregular
Common Usages:
단 맛 = sweet taste
Example:
스타벅스 커피가 너무 **달아요** = Starbucks coffee is too **sweet**
깊다 = to be deep
The pronunciation of this word is closer to “깁따”
Common Usages:
깊은 의미 = deep meaning
Example:
애기 수영장은 **깊**지 않아요 = Baby swimming pools are not **deep**
조용하다 = to be quiet
Common Usages:
조용! = Shhh! Be quiet!
쥐 죽은 듯이 조용하다 = To be as quiet as a mouse (literally, as if a mouse died)
Examples:
**요즘에는** 길이 너무 조용해요 = These days the streets are very **quiet**
학생들은 **조용히** 공부했어요 = The students studied **quietly**
뜨겁다 = to be hot
The pronunciation of this word is closer to “뜨겁따”
뜨겁다 follows the ㅂ irregular
Common Usages:
뜨거운 물 = hot water
뜨거운 박수 = a warm applause
Notes: Only used to describe objects when they are hot. Not when describing the weather and usually not when describing one’s body temperature. It would only be used to describe a body temperature if somebody’s body is hot to the touch.
Example:
물이 매우 **뜨거워**서 만지지 마세요 = Don’t touch the water because it is very **hot**
차갑다 = to be cold
The pronunciation of this word is closer to “차갑다”
차갑다 follows the ㅂ irregular
Common Usages
차가운 물 = cold water
차갑게 거절하다 = to reject coldly
Only used to describe objects when they are cold. Not when describing the weather and usually not when describing one’s body temperature. It would only be used to describe a body temperature if somebody’s body is cold to the touch.
Example:
**차가운** 물을 주세요 = Please give me **cold** water
친절하다 = to be nice, to be kind
Common Usages:
친절한 사람 = a nice person
친절하게 대우하다 = to treat somebody nicely
Example:
한국 사람들은 아주 **친절해요** = Korean people are very **nice**
### Adverbs and Other Words
전 = before/ago
Common Usages:
그 전에 = before that
식전 = before eating/after a meal
조금 전에 = just a bit before/earlier
Used to indicate that something was done before a certain time, for example:
- 저는 2주 **전**에 남동생을 만났어요 = I met my brother 2 weeks **ago**
- 저는 그 **전**에 한국어를 잘 못 했어요 = I couldn’t speak Korean well **before** that
Also used to indicate that something happens before an action:
- 한국에 오기 **전**에 저는 한국어를 배웠어요 = I learned Korean **before** I came to Korea
직전 = just before
Example:
한국에 오기 **직전**에 저는 한국어를 배웠어요 = I learned Korean **right before** I came to Korea
후 = after/later
Common Usages:
그 후에 = after that
식후 = after eating/after a meal
Used to indicate that something was done after a certain time, for example:
- 수업은 2분 **후**에 끝날 거예요 = Class will finish 2 minutes **from now**
Also used to indicate that something happens after an action:
- 밥을 먹은 **후**에 친구를 만났어요 = **After** I ate, I met a friend
직후 = right after
Example:
우리가 먹은 **직후**에 잠에 들었어요 = We fell asleep **right after** eating
이래 = since
Notes: 후에 is used much more commonly than 이래(로).
Example:
- 한국에 온 **후**에 한국어를 배우고 있어요 = **After** coming to Korea, I have been learning Korean
- 한국에 온 **이래**로 한국어를 배우고 있어요 = **Since** coming to Korea, I have been learning Korean
잠시 = a moment
Common Usages:
잠시 후에 = a short time after, a moment after
잠시만 = just a moment
Example:
우리는 **잠시** 후에 나갈 거예요 = We are going to go outside **shortly**
잠깐 = a short time
Common Usages:
잠깐만! = just a moment
Example:
**잠깐**만 기다려 주세요! = Wait **just a moment**, please!
저는 침대에 **잠깐** 눕고 싶어요 = I want to lie down for just **a second**
저는 신발을 신으러 **잠깐** 앉았어요 = I sat down for **a minute** in order to put on my shoe
그 문제를 해결하려고 우리는 **잠깐** 만났어요 = In order to solve that problem, we met for **a little bit**
죄송해요! 저는 **잠깐** 집에 들러야 돼요 = Sorry! I need to pop into the house for **a second**
이내 = within
Example:
저는 5년 **이내**에 외국어를 다섯 개 배우고 싶어요 = I want to learn five languages **within** 5 years
For help memorizing these words, try using our [mobile app](https://www.howtostudykorean.com/app/).
## Introduction
In [Lesson 11](./11-time.md), you learned a wide variety of different “time” words that you can use in sentences. In that lesson, I said that there were two more words that were very important when talking about time (전 and 후). In that lesson, I said that I would teach you those two words sometime later. Well, this is now later.
In this lesson, you will learn how to use the words 전 and 후 as well as some other similar words. Let’s get started:
## Before/Ago (전)
The word ‘전’ translates to ‘before’ or ‘ago’ depending on where it is used. When placed after any indication of time (2 seconds, 5 minutes, 10 hours, 4 days, 3 weeks, 2 years, etc…) it has the meaning of “ago.” For example:
- 2 초 전에 = 2 seconds ago
- 5 분 전에 = 5 minutes ago
- 열 시간 전에 = 10 hours ago\*
- 4 일 전에 = 4 days ago
- 3 주 전에 = 3 weeks ago
- 2 년 전에 = 2 years ago
_\*I typically write the word instead of the numeral when referring to an hour. To see why, check out [Lesson 10](./10-numbers.md) and [11](./11-time.md)._
Notice that ‘에’ gets added to ‘전’ because it is referring to a time.
You can now use those words in sentences very intuitively:
- 저는 2주 전에 남동생을 만났어요 = I met my brother 2 weeks ago
- 구름은 5분 전에 걷혔어요 = The clouds cleared up 5 minutes ago
When ‘전’ is placed after a verb, it translates to “before.” When you want to use 전 like this, you must add \~기 to the verb stem of the preceding verb:
- 제가 먹기 전에 = before I ate
- 제가 가기 전에 = before I go
- 제가 오기 전에 = before I come
A few very important things before I say anything else:
There is a reason why \~기 is added to the stem of a verb. Adding \~기 to the stem of a verb is a topic I cover in detail in [Lesson 29](https://www.howtostudykorean.com/unit-2-lower-intermediate-korean-grammar/unit-2-lessons-26-33/lesson-29/).
Another thing. You can essentially add any sentence to the (verb-stem)\~기 전에 grammatical form and it will have the meaning of “before (this happened).” You could say something like “the country of Canada becomes a sovereign state기 전에” and it would have the meaning of “before Canada became a sovereign state”… Of course, that is a terrible example because in English the verb doesn’t come at the end of the sentence.
You are now ready to create two-clause sentences. Up to this point we have dealt with sentences having only one clause, meaning one subject, one object, and one predicating verb or adjective. To illustrate, in the following sentences subjects are colored red, objects are blue, and predicating verbs or adjectives are green. (Adverbs and other parts of the sentences are not colored):
- 나는 너를 사랑해 = I love you
- 아버지는 언제 왔어요? = When did dad come?
- 저와 엄마는 밥을 같이 먹었어요 = Mom and I ate (rice)
- 그 여자들은 예뻐요 = Those girls are pretty
- 저는 똑똑한 여자들만 좋아해요 = I only like smart girls
However, there are grammatical principles (in English and Korean) that allow us to create more than one clause. Each clause is able to have a subject, object and also a verb/adjective. A sentence with more than one clause could therefore have more than one subject, object or verb/adjective. For example:
- When I go home, my mom will be waiting for me
- When my mother ate a hotdog, I ate a hamburger
- Before I eat, I want to wash my hands
- After I saw the movie, my friend called me
- I don’t want to meet him because he isn’t nice
The grammatical rules of a Korean sentence with two (or more) clauses are similar those with only one clause. However, when a sentence has two (or more) clauses, the particle \~는/은 cannot be placed on the subject of both clauses. Instead, it can only be attached to the subject of the main clause of the sentence.
The main clause of a sentence is the clause that is expressing the main idea of the sentence. One way to find the non-main clause (referred to as the “sub-clause” for the remainder of this lesson) is by looking for the part of the sentence that tells us when/where/why/how the main idea is happening. For example:
When I go home, my mom will be waiting for me
- Main clause: My mom will be waiting for me
- When will this happen: When I go home
When my mother ate a hotdog, I ate a hamburger
- Main clause: I ate a hamburger
- When did this happen: When my mother ate a hotdog
Before I eat, I want to wash my hands
- Main clause: I want to wash my hands
- When did this happen: Before I eat
After I saw the movie, my friend called me
- Main clause: My friend called me
- When did happen: After I saw the movie
I don’t want to meet him because he isn’t nice
- Main clause: I don’t want to meet him
- Why does this happen: because he isn’t nice
Notice that if you eliminate the sub-clause, the main clause still makes sense. However, if you eliminate the main clause, you are left with an incomplete sentence.
Let’s go back to \~기 전에 and see how these rules apply. In the following sentence:
- “Before my mom came, I ate rice”
Which clause is the main clause? Which clause is the sub-clause?
- “I ate rice” is the main idea of the sentence. It is a perfect sentence by itself.
“Before my mom came” describes _when_ the action in the main clause takes place. It is also an incomplete sentence by itself.
Therefore, this sentence in Korean can be written as:
- 엄마가 오기 전에 나는 밥을 먹었어 = Before my mom came, I ate (rice)
I am going to talk about how the particles \~는/은 and \~이/가 can be used in these sentences. I’m going to separate this discussion with a line before and after it in an attempt to organize it a little bit.
———————————————————————-
Notice that \~는/은 is attached to the subject of the main clause of the sentence. The reverse would be incorrect. For example:
- ~~엄마는 오기 전에 내가 밥을 먹었어~~ – incorrect
Placing \~는/은 on _both_ subjects would also be incorrect:
- ~~엄마는 오기 전에 나는 밥을 먹었어~~ – incorrect
However, placing \~이/가 on both subjects is acceptable. That is, it is not necessary to place \~는/은 on the subject of the main clause of the sentence, just like how (as you learned in [Lesson 2](./02-particles.md)) it is not necessary to place \~은/는 on the subject of the following sentence:
- 고양이가 집 뒤에 있어요 = The cat is behind the house
Placing \~는/은 on the subject of the main clause of a multi-clause sentence has the same effect of adding \~는/은 to the subject of a sentence with one clause. That is, it _could_ indicate that something is being compared with something else. It could also have the exact same meaning as a sentence with “\~이/가” used as the subject particles. In both situations, the context is the only thing that can determine if there is a subtle difference in meaning. For example:
- 친구가 오기 전에 저는 은행에 갔어요 = Before my friend came, I went to the bank, or
- 친구가 오기 전에 제가 은행에 갔어요 = Before my friend came, I went to the bank
There _could_ be a difference between these two sentences. If the context allowed for it, the feeling is that “I” is being compared to another noun. For example, “before your friend came, (maybe) your girlfriend stayed home but _you (I_) went to the bank.”
Sometimes, the use of “\~는/은” as the subject particle creates a different translation in English, although the end result of the sentence is the same. Notice the difference between the following possible English translations:
- 친구가 오기 전에 저는 은행에 갔어요 = Before my friend came, I was the person who went to the bank (compared to my girlfriend who stayed home)
- 친구가 오기 전에 제가 은행에 갔어요 = Before my friend came, I went to the bank
If you are unsure of this distinction between \~은/는 and \~이/가 I encourage you to re-read the distinction made in [Lesson 2](./02-particles.md) and [Lesson 22](./22-how-which-what-how-many.md).
Almost all of the time, when you are making the sub-clause to go before “\~전에,” \~이/가 will be attached to the subject of that clause. The only time this isn’t the case is when the subject of _both_ clauses is the same. In these cases, it is acceptable to place “\~는/은” on the subject of the first clause, and eliminate it from the second clause. For example:
- 나는 오기 전에 밥을 먹었어 = Before I came, I ate
Instead of:
- ~~내가 오기 전에 나는 밥을 먹었어~~ = Before I came, I ate
Remember that Korean people love shortening their sentences. Every chance they get, they want to eliminate something from their sentences. So, instead of saying “내가… 나는…” you only need to say “I” once.
———————————————————————-
Also notice that (like a lot of things in Korean), no indication of tense is made before \~기 전에. Instead, the tense is determined by the conjugation of the main clause:
- 엄마가 오기 전에 나는 먹었어 = Before mom came, I ate
- 엄마가 오기 전에 나는 먹을 거야 = Before mom comes, I will eat
Many more examples of \~기 전에:
- 한국에 오기 전에 저는 한국어를 배웠어요 = I learned Korean before I came to Korea
- 수박을 먹기 전에 사과를 먹었어요 = Before I ate a watermelon I ate an apple
- 양복을 입기 전에 목욕을 했어요 = Before putting on the suit I took a bath
- 구름이 걷히기 전에 비가 왔어요 = Before the clouds cleared it rained
- 집에서 나가기 전에 방을 치웠어요 = Before leaving the house I cleaned my room
- 제가 아내와 결혼하기 전에 우리는 2년 동안 사귀었어요 = Before marrying my wife, we went out/dated for 2 years
## After/Later (후)
The word ‘후’ translates to ‘after’ or ‘later/from now’ depending on how it is used in Korean sentences. When placed after any indication of time (2 seconds, 5 minutes, 10 hours, 4 days, 3 weeks, 2 years, etc…) it has the meaning of “later/from now:” For example:
- 2 초 후에 = 2 seconds later/from now
- 5 분 후에 = 5 minutes later/from now
- 열 시간 후에 = 10 hours later/from now\*
- 4 일 후에 = 4 days later/from now
- 3 주 후에 = 3 weeks later/from now
- 2 년 후에 = 2 years later/from now
_\*I typically write the word instead of the numeral when referring to an hour. To see why, check out [Lesson 10](./10-numbers.md) and [11](./11-time.md)._
You can use these sentences intuitively just like sentences with “전.” For example:
- 두 시간 후에 갈 거예요 = I will go 2 hours from now
- 수업은 2분 후에 끝날 거예요 = Class will finish 2 minutes from now
When ‘후’ is placed after a verb, it has the meaning of “after.” You learned earlier in this lesson that you must add \~기 to the stem of a verb to make “\~기 전에.” When using “후” after a verb, you do not add \~기 to the stem of the word. Instead, you must add \~ㄴ/은 to the stem of the verb. \~은 gets added to a stem where the final syllable ends in a consonant. \~ㄴ gets added directly to stems ending in a vowel. For example:
- 내가 먹은 후에 = After I eat
- 내가 간 후에 = After I go
These can now go into sentences like “\~기 전에”
- 숙제가 끝난 후에 나는 집에 갈 거예요 = After my homework is finished, I will go home
- 밥을 먹은 후에 친구를 만났어요 = After I ate I met a friend
- 과자를 많이 먹은 후에 배가 아팠어요 = After eating a lot of candy/snacks, my stomach was sore
- 구두를 신은 후에 의자에서 일어났어요 = After putting on my boots, I got up from the chair
- 방을 치운 후에 밖에 나갔어요 = After cleaning up my room, I went outside
It is also possible to substitute the word 다음 (which you learned about in [Lesson 11](./11-time.md)) for 후 to create the same meaning. For example:
- 숙제가 끝난 다음에 나는 집에 갈 거예요 = After my homework is finished, I will go home
- 밥을 먹은 다음에 친구를 만났어요 = After I ate I met a friend
- 과자를 많이 먹은 다음에 배가 아팠어요 = After eating a lot of candy/snacks, my stomach was sore
- 구두를 신은 다음에 의자에서 일어났어요 = After putting on my boots, I got up from the chair
- 방을 치운 다음에 밖에 나갔어요 = After cleaning up my room, I went outside
You can see in the vocabulary list that there are also these words:
- 직전 = just before
- 직후 = right after
These two can be used just like 전 and 후 respectively – the difference being that the addition of “직” emphasizes that something was done _immediately_ before or after the action or indication of time. For example:
- 아들이 저녁 먹기 직전에 과자를 먹었어요 = Right before having dinner, he (the son) ate candy/snacks
- 경찰관이 오기 직전에 그 사람이 갔어요 = That person left right before the police came
---
- 양복을 입은 직후에 밖에 나갔어요 = Right after I put on the suit, I went outside
- 전화번호를 받은 직후에 잃어버렸어요 = Right after I got his phone number, I lost it
One quick thing. In a lot of the example sentences above, I placed the \~기 전에 or \~ㄴ/은 후에 clauses before the main clause of the sentence. It is important to recognize something here – what we are essentially doing is creating a unit that gives us an indication of time. For example:
- 친구가 오기 전에 저는 은행에 갔어요 = Before my friend came, I went to the bank
“친구가 오기 전에” can just be seen as one unit that can be placed elsewhere in a sentence, just like other adverbs that give us an indication of time. For example:
- 저는 (at some time) 은행에 갔어요 = I went to the bank (at some time)
- 저는 (어제) 은행에 갔어요 = I went to the bank (yesterday)
- 저는 (친구가 오기 전에) 은행에 갔어요 = I went to the bank (before my friend came)
Therefore, although I often place this indication of time before the clause, it doesn’t always need to be there, and it is the discretion of the speaker that will decide exactly where to place it. Being able to create a single unit from a clause like this is a quick introduction to what you will begin learning in [Lesson 26](https://www.howtostudykorean.com/unit-2-lower-intermediate-korean-grammar/unit-2-lessons-26-33/lesson-26/) – where you will be able to manipulate entire clauses to describe nouns in the middle of sentences.
## Since: \~ㄴ/은 이래로
The word “since” in Korean (이래로) can be used in place of “후” in \~ㄴ/은 후에 to have the meaning of “since I…”:
- 한국에 온 이래로 한국어를 배우고 있어요 = Since coming to Korea, I have been learning Korean
- 열심히 공부한 이래로 실력은 빨리 늘었어요 = Since studying hard, my skills have been quickly increasing
Those two sentences are perfectly correct, but you should know that Korean people rarely use the word 이래로. You can use it, and everybody will understand what you mean (they will probably be impressed because 이래로 is a difficult word). Instead, it is more common for Korean people to use \~ㄴ/은 후에 to have the meaning of “since.” For example:
한국에 온 이래로 한국어를 배우고 있어요.. is better said like this:
- 한국에 온 후에 한국어를 배우고 있어요 = After coming to Korea, I have been learning Korean
열심히 공부한 이래로 실력은 빨리 늘었어요… is better said like this:
- 열심히 공부한 후에 실력은 빨리 늘었어요 = After studying hard, my skills have been quickly increasing
## Within/inside (안/이내)
Two other words that you can use in similar situations as 전 and 후 are 안 and 이내. You already know the word “안” can be used in sentences to mean “inside:”
- 나는 집 안에 있다 = I am inside the house
If 안/이내 are placed after an indication of time, they have the meaning of “within” that time period. For example:
- 나는 5년 이내에 외국어 다섯 개를 배우고 싶어 = I want to learn five languages within 5 years
- 나는 5년 안에 외국어 다섯 개를 배우고 싶어 = I want to learn five languages within 5 years
---
- 우리는 1년 이내 결혼할 거예요 = We will get married within one year
- 우리는 1년 안에 결혼할 거예요 = We will get married within one year
This was a bit of an easy lesson as well! This lesson and the one before it were pretty easy – but don’t worry – you are almost at Unit 2, and the lessons in that unit will be really hard!
[Okay, I got it! Take me to the next lesson!](https://www.howtostudykorean.com/unit1/unit-1-lessons-17-25-2/lesson-25/ "Lesson 25: Anybody, Everybody, Somebody, Nobody, etc.") Or,
[Click here for a workbook to go along with this lesson.](https://www.howtostudykorean.com/workbooks/#Unit1725 "Workbooks")
## Summary
Want to practice your listening skills?
This YouTube video will prompt you with Korean sentences to dictate using the concepts from this lesson.