TOPIK II Grammar · Ch.4 Time, Experience & Recollection 01

TOPIK II Grammar · Ch.4 Time, Experience & Recollection 01

'-고 나서' · '-고 나면' - After Finishing, Once It's Done

숙제를 하고 나서 놀았어요. I played after finishing my homework. 이 약을 먹고 나면 졸릴 거예요. Once you've taken this medicine, you'll feel sleepy. You know -고 for "and then". The moment 나다 joins it, the sentence adds something plain -고 doesn't have: the first action was completely finished.

Key point Verb + -고 나서 = after finishing ~ (sequence with completion stressed). Verb + -고 나면 = once you've finished ~ (what follows is a future event or a result that holds every time).

How to use it

Plain -고 lines actions up in order; -고 나서 adds that the first one is fully done - 밥을 먹고 나서 이를 닦아요 (= I brush my teeth after finishing my meal). That's the same difference English makes between "after eating" and "after finishing my meal". It comes very close to -(으)ㄴ 후에 in meaning.

-고 나면 is completion plus the condition -(으)면 - so the second half looks forward: a future event, or a result that comes every time. 운동하고 나면 기분이 좋아져요 (= once I've worked out, I feel better). English "once" is the anchor: "once you've done it, then...".

Both attach to verbs only. And the verb before 나서/나면 doesn't take the past marker - 먹었고 나서 ✗. The final verb sets the tense for the whole sentence. This is the same single-tense principle that -고 sequences follow.

At a glance

Pattern	What follows	Example
-고 나서	the next event, in order	회의가 끝나고 나서 점심을 먹었어요
-고 나면	a future event	이 책을 읽고 나면 생각이 달라질 거예요
-고 나면 (general)	a result that holds every time	샤워하고 나면 개운해요

Three sequence patterns  -고 (light), -고 나서 (completion stressed), -(으)ㄴ 후에 (more formal). Their meanings overlap; only the emphasis differs.

Examples

손을 씻고 나서 요리를 시작하세요. Start cooking after you've washed your hands. - the washing must be complete before the next step.

영화를 보고 나서 같이 저녁 먹을까요? Shall we have dinner together after the movie? - literally "after finishing watching": planning in sequence.

푹 자고 나면 괜찮아질 거예요. Once you've had a good sleep, you'll feel better. - 푹 (= deeply, soundly); after 나면 comes a future event.

Common mistakes

❌ 시험이 끝났고 나서 여행을 갔어요. → ⭕ 시험이 끝나고 나서 여행을 갔어요. The verb before 나서 stays in its plain form. English marks past on every verb ("finished and went"), but here the final verb (갔어요) carries the tense for both actions.

❌ 날씨가 춥고 나면 감기에 걸려요. → ⭕ 날씨가 추워지고 나면 감기에 걸려요. -고 나다 means finishing an action, so adjectives can't attach - being cold isn't something you complete. Build a verb with -아/어지다 (추워지다 = to get cold) and it connects.

Quick check

Fill each blank with -고 나서 or -고 나면.

1. 일을 다 끝내(      ) 친구에게 연락했어요.
2. 이 노래를 듣(      ) 기분이 좋아질 거예요.
3. 청소를 하(      ) 창문을 열어 환기했어요.

Show answers

1. 고 나서 (a finished past sequence)   2. 고 나면 (a future result follows)   3. 고 나서 (a sequence of completed past actions; 나서 stresses that the first one was finished)

💡 Study tip - Chain your morning with -고 나서. 일어나고 나서 물을 마시고, 씻고 나서 아침을 먹어요. (= After getting up I drink water, and after washing up I eat breakfast.) The speaking test's "describe your day" runs on exactly this chain. Say yours out loud tonight, and tomorrow morning narrate it for real as you go.