Te Kara: Do One Action Before the Next

Use てから to make one action the starting point for another: finish the first, then do the second. The final predicate gives the sentence its tense. This is useful when a simple て connection does not make the required order clear enough.

Formation and use

Form the first verb in the て form, then add から: 食べてから・読んでから・してから. This から follows a verb form; it is not the reason pattern with a complete proposition.

In 手を洗ってから食べます, washing comes before eating. Reverse the two actions and the practical meaning changes. The second action is not required to happen immediately, although a close sequence is common.

Comparisons and common errors

Use 食べてから出かけました for a past event and 食べてから出かけます for a plan or habit. Do not make 食べましたから when you intend the sequence pattern.

Compare 食べる前に (before eating) with 食べてから (after eating). With 後で, the first verb takes た: 食べた後で. These expressions can describe related sequences but require different attachments.

Practise with explanations

Try the 10 questions below, or open the practice set. Check each answer or the whole set, read the explanation, and retry mistakes. First-attempt results are kept separately on this device.

Connected lessons

• Te-Form
• Mae Ni and Ato De: Before and After an Action
• Japanese Ta Form: Plain Past Conjugation