Using antes de /después de/luego de [noun/infinitive] for before/after [something/doing something] (LatAm)

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

Voy a ducharme antes de la cena.I am going to have a shower before dinner.

Después de/Luego de+ noun

In Latin America después de and luego de are synonyms, although luego de tends to be slightly more formal.

Después de la fiesta llamamos a un taxi.After the party we will call a taxi.
 
Luego de la fiesta llamamos a un taxi.After the party we will call a taxi.

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 del partido bebimos demasiadas cervezas.Before the match we drank too many beers.

Antes de + infinitive

Fui a su casa antes de ir al gimnasio.I went to her house before going to the gym.

Después de/luego de + infinitive

Después de cocinar quiero ver la televisión.After cooking I want to watch TV.
Luego de comer en el parque fuimos a pasear.After eating in the park we went for a walk.
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:

 

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Examples and resources

Después de cocinar quiero ver la televisión.After cooking I want to watch TV.
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.
Luego de la fiesta llamamos a un taxi.After the party we will call a taxi.
Luego de comer en el parque fuimos a pasear.After eating in the park we went for a walk.
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