After (preposition) — later in time than something; following an event or period: "after dinner", "after the war".
After (conjunction) — introducing a clause that happened at a later point: "after she arrived, we sat down".
After (adverb) — at a later time; afterwards: "shortly after", "soon after".
After (adjective, formal) — coming later; subsequent: "in after years".
What Does After Mean?
After is one of the most frequent words in English — it appears in the top 50 most-used words in almost every corpus of written and spoken British English. Its core meaning is temporal: something that happens after an event occurs at a later point in time. In that sense it is the direct opposite of before.
Beyond simple time sequences, after carries the idea of pursuit or desire ("she is after a promotion"), resemblance ("he takes after his father"), and style or imitation ("a painting after Constable"). These extended uses are common in everyday British English and are worth learning at B2 and above.
As a conjunction, after introduces a subordinate time clause. The main clause and the after-clause can come in either order, but when the after-clause leads, a comma is used: "After the meeting ended, everyone left quickly." When the main clause leads, no comma is needed: "Everyone left quickly after the meeting ended."
Example Sentences by Level
| Sentence | Level | Usage note |
|---|---|---|
| We had ice cream after lunch. | A2 | after as preposition + noun |
| After the lesson, she reviewed her notes for thirty minutes. | B1 | after-clause at the start; comma before main clause |
| He felt much more confident after he had practised the presentation twice. | B1 | after as conjunction; past perfect in subordinate clause |
| The team continued to perform well long after their manager had resigned. | B2 | long after — extended time reference; past perfect |
| After years of meticulous research, the findings were finally published in a peer-reviewed journal. | C1 | after + noun phrase expressing duration; formal register |
Collocations with After
| Collocation | Meaning / Example |
|---|---|
| shortly after | a short time later — "She arrived shortly after midday." |
| soon after | not long afterwards — "He left, and soon after the rain started." |
| long after | a considerable time later — "She remembered it long after everyone else had forgotten." |
| just after | immediately following — "The call came just after nine o'clock." |
| day after day | repeatedly, every day — "She trained day after day without missing a session." |
| after all | despite what was expected, or introducing a reason — "It didn't snow after all." |
| look after | to take care of — "Could you look after the dog this weekend?" |
| take after | to resemble a parent or relative — "She really takes after her grandmother." |
| after hours | outside normal working or business hours — "The office has after-hours security." |
| one after another | in rapid succession — "Problems came one after another." |
Usage Notes
Key Points for Learners
- After vs afterwards: Use after before a noun or clause. Use afterwards (British English) or afterward (American English) when there is no object: "We went for a walk. Afterwards, we had tea." You cannot say "We had tea after" without an object.
- Tense in after-clauses: When both events are in the past, use simple past or past perfect in the after-clause: "After he arrived / had arrived, we started." Past perfect is preferred in formal writing to make the sequence explicit.
- After vs since: Both relate to past time, but since implies a continuing situation up to now: "I have been here since Monday." After marks a point of completion: "I left after Monday's meeting."
- After in phrasal verbs: After forms several common phrasal verbs: look after (care for), take after (resemble), go after (pursue), ask after (enquire about someone's health).
- After + -ing: In British English, after + gerund is natural and common: "After finishing the report, she left the office." The subject of both clauses must be the same.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
We stayed in the café after to the concert.
We stayed in the café after the concert. (after is followed by a noun phrase, not by "to")
After I will finish my degree, I want to travel.
After I finish my degree, I want to travel. (use present simple, not future, after time conjunctions)
I saw her after, and we spoke briefly.
I saw her afterwards, and we spoke briefly. (after cannot stand alone as an adverb without an object — use afterwards)
After of the exam, he went home.
After the exam, he went home. (no preposition follows after)