After doing: -고 나서

This is a connective ending. It glues two separate actions together into one logical flow. You take two verbs. You want to show Action A happens first. You attach -고 나서 to that first verb stem. It acts like a temporal anchor. It tells your listener exactly when the second thing started. It is like a relay race. The first runner has to hand off the baton completely before the second runner can sprint away. If the first action isn't finished, you can't use this pattern. It is all about that satisfying sense of completion.

1. 1Identify the first verb in your sequence.
2. 2Drop the 다 from the dictionary form to find the stem.
3. 3Simply add -고 나서 to that stem.
4. 4It does not matter if the stem ends in a vowel or a consonant (batchim).
5. 5먹다 (to eat) becomes 먹고 나서.
6. 6가다 (to go) becomes 가고 나서.
7. 7공부하다 (to study) becomes 공부하고 나서.
8. 8씻다 (to wash) becomes 씻고 나서.
9. 9It is one of the friendliest rules in Korean because there are zero irregulars to worry about here! Yes, even native speakers love how simple this one is.

Use it whenever the sequence of events really matters. Imagine you are at a restaurant. You finish your meal, then you pay. 밥을 먹고 나서 계산해요. It is perfect for giving instructions too. "After you read this, press the button." It is great for describing your daily routines. "After I wake up, I drink water." It gives your speech a logical rhythm that sounds very natural. You can also use it in professional settings, like a job interview. "After I graduated, I worked at a tech firm." It shows you are organized, clear, and logical. Use it when you want to emphasize that "Step 1" is totally over.

Do not use this with adjectives. You cannot "after be pretty" or "after be tall." That sounds weird in English and even weirder in Korean. Also, avoid it for actions that happen at the same time. If you are eating while watching TV, use -으면서 instead. Another tricky spot is movement. If you go somewhere to do something, like going to the park to run, -아/어서 is usually the better choice. -고 나서 is strictly for things that happen one after another, not things that are logically fused together.

The biggest mistake is trying to put the past tense on the first verb. You might feel tempted to say 먹었었 고 나서. Stop right there! The -고 나서 ending already carries the meaning that the first action is finished. Keep that first verb in its simple stem form. The tense of the whole sentence is decided by the very last verb. Another mistake is using it for things that are just naturally connected. For example, putting on clothes. You don't usually say "After I finished putting on my shirt, I put on my pants" unless you are being very specific. For quick, linked actions, a simple -고 is often enough.

People often confuse this with a simple -고. Think of -고 as just saying "and." It is like a grocery list of actions. -고 나서 is more like a timeline. It is "and then, after that's done." Then there is -아/어서. That one is often used when the first action is a prerequisite for the second, or for cause and effect. Use -고 나서 when there is a clear break between the two actions. It is the difference between "I went to the store and bought milk" (connected) and "After I finished shopping, I went to the gym" (sequential).