Learn how to express before/after something in Spanish
In Spanish, to express before or after [something/doing something] we use the prepositional phrases: antes de and después de.
Antes de + noun
Después de/Luego de+ noun
In Latin America después de and luego de are synonyms, although luego de tends to be slightly more formal.
Notice in the examples above how after the preposition de the noun is preceded by its article.
- antes de la cena
- después de la fiesta
Contraction del
Remember that if the noun is masculine you will find the contraction del:
Antes de + infinitive
Después de/luego de + infinitive
Notice that in Spanish the verb after the preposition de is in the infinitive (-ar/-er/ir form) whilst in English it is a gerund (-ing form)
See also:
- Using antes de que/después de que with indicative or subjunctive in Spanish (subordinate time clauses) (Spain)
- Antes de/Después de followed by haber + participle in Spanish
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