-고 나서
after finishing
Marks the first action as finished before the second begins. 나다 means “come out, be done,” and it is what adds the sense of completion that plain -고 lacks.
Build it
Pick a verb
When to use it
Attach -고 나서 to any verb stem — no vowel rule, ㄹ stays, and no tense in front.
It belongs with action verbs only, and normally the same subject performs both actions. Adjectives and 있다 cannot take it, since there is nothing to finish.
Against -(으)ㄴ 후에, the difference is emphasis rather than meaning. 후에 places one event after another on a timeline; -고 나서 stresses that the first was completed and dealt with. In instructions and recipes it is the more natural choice.
The related -고 나면 turns it into a condition: 먹고 나면 졸려요 (once I’ve eaten, I get sleepy).
How to attach it
| Situation | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Any action verb | -고 나서 | 먹다 → 먹고 나서 |
| ㄹ stems keep the ㄹ | -고 나서 | 만들다 → 만들고 나서 |
| As a condition | -고 나면 | 먹고 나면 졸려요 |
| Same meaning | -(으)ㄴ 후에 / 다음에 | 먹은 후에 |
| Adjectives | cannot take it | 좋고 나서 does not exist |
| Never takes tense | plain stem only | 먹었고 나서 is wrong |
In use
숙제를 하고 나서 놀아요.
Do your homework first, then play.
밥을 먹고 나서 약을 드세요.
Take the medicine after you’ve eaten.
손을 씻고 나서 재료를 준비하세요.
Wash your hands, then prepare the ingredients.
저녁을 만들고 나서 설거지를 했어요.
I did the dishes after making dinner.
운동하고 나면 기분이 좋아져요.
I feel better once I’ve exercised.
영화를 보고 나서 커피를 마셨어요.
We had coffee after watching the film.
Compared with
-고
-고 simply lists actions in order; -고 나서 insists the first was finished. In a recipe, the difference matters.
손을 씻고 준비하세요. (wash and prepare) / 손을 씻고 나서 준비하세요. (finish washing, then prepare)
-(으)ㄴ 후에
Nearly interchangeable. 후에 is more neutral and works in writing; -고 나서 sounds more like spoken instruction.
먹은 후에 약을 드세요. / 먹고 나서 약을 드세요.
-자마자
-자마자 means no gap at all; -고 나서 allows one. If you want to stress immediacy, the first is the right ending.
먹고 나서 나갔어요. (ate, then went out) / 먹자마자 나갔어요. (went out the instant I finished)
Watch out
밥을 먹었고 나서 약을 먹었어요.
밥을 먹고 나서 약을 먹었어요.
-고 나서 never carries tense. The past is expressed once, on the final verb.
날씨가 좋고 나서 나갔어요.
날씨가 좋아서 나갔어요.
Adjectives describe states and cannot be finished. This ending takes action verbs only.
제가 요리하고 나서 동생이 청소했어요.
제가 요리한 후에 동생이 청소했어요.
-고 나서 normally keeps one subject across both clauses. With two people, -(으)ㄴ 후에 reads more naturally.
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