To express in Spanish before or after [something/doing something] we use the prepositional phrases: antes de and después de.
Antes de + noun
Después de + noun
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 + infinitive
Notice that in Spanish the verb after the preposition de comes in the infinitive form (-ar/-er/ir form) whilst in English it is a gerund (-ing form)
Learn more about these related Spanish grammar topics
Examples and resources
Fui a su casa antes de ir al gimnasio.
I went to her house before going to the gym.
Después de la fiesta llamamos a un taxi.
After the party we will call a taxi.
Voy a ducharme antes de la cena.
I am going to have a shower before dinner.
Antes del partido bebimos demasiadas cervezas.
Before the match we drank too many beers.
Después de cocinar quiero ver la televisión.
After cooking I want to watch TV.
