[Korean grammar] V-고 나서 Time Expressions

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일을 하고 나서 쉽니다.
I rest after finishing my work.


텔레비전을 보고 나서 잡니다.
I sleep after watching TV.


아침을 먹고 나서 신문을 봅니다.
I read the newspaper after eating breakfast.


Grammar Focus:
-고 나서 expresses the finishing of one behavior followed by the beginning of a subsequent behavior and thus corresponds to ‘do (something) after’, ‘upon finishing’ or ‘and then’ in English. Although in some cases -고 can be omitted without changing the meaning of the sentence, such as in 일을 나서 쉬세요 and 일을 하고 쉬세요, the inclusion of -고 나서 instead of simply -고 helps clarify the fact that the first behavior has completely ended.




Because -고 나서 expresses temporal order, it can only be used with verbs. 
Further, when the subjects of the first and second clauses are the same in sentences using the motion verbs 가다 (to go), 오다 (to come), 들어가다 (to enter), 들어오다 (to exit), 나가다 (to leave), 나오다 (to emerge [from]), 올라가다 (to go up), and 내려가다 (to go down), and the verbs 일어 나다 (to get/stand up), 앉다 (to sit), 눕다 (to lie down), and 만나다 (to meet), -아/어서 is used in place of -고 and -고 나서.
• 나는 학교에 가고 나서 (나는) 공부해요. (X)
->나는 학교에 가서 (나는) 공부해요. (〇)
I go to school and (I) study.
• (나는) 오늘 버스에서 앉고 나서 (나는) 왔어요. (X)
->(나는) 오늘 버스에서 앉아서 (나는) 왔어요. (〇)
Today, (I) rode on the bus and (I) came (here).

Conversation:
A: 김 부장님, 서류를 언제까지 드릴까요?
Manager Kim, (by) when shall I give you the documents?
B: 회의가 끝나고 나서 주세요.
Please give them to me after the meeting.

A: 듣기 시험을 어떻게 봐요? How do you take the listening test?
B: 문제를 두번 읽을 거예요. 문제를 잘 듣고 나서 대답을 찾으세요.
They will read the questions twice. Listen to the questions carefully, and then find the answer.

A: ’독후감’이 뭐예요? What does ‘독후감’ mean?
B: 책을 읽고 나서 쓰는 글이에요.
It’s what you write after you finish reading a book.

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