after (in time)
The core sense, with a noun or a time expression.
după masă
after the meal / in the afternoon
după muncă
after work
#81 · Preposition
după
In Romanian, după means “after (in time)”. It’s the #81 most frequently used Romanian word. Below you’ll find how to use it, its forms, real example sentences, and common word pairings.
Meaning & Use
După is "after" — after lunch, after work, after you. Rank 81, invariable. It has one extension English does not share: după mine also means "in my opinion", literally "according to me". And după ce is the fixed conjunction that joins two clauses in time: După ce mănânc, plec.
neutralafter / behind (in space or order)
Position in a queue, a sequence or behind an object.
după colț
around the corner
Vin după tine.
I'll come after you.
according to / in the opinion of
după mine, după el — the everyday way to attribute a view. Not translated as "after" at all.
După mine, e prea scump.
In my view, it's too expensive.
after (as a conjunction, după ce)
Joins two clauses. Note that Romanian keeps the indicative here, and often the present for a future action.
După ce termin, te sun.
After I finish, I'll call you.
for / after (going to fetch)
a veni după, a merge după — going to get somebody or something.
Am venit după tine.
I came to get you.
Forms you’ll actually hear
Ranked by how often each form shows up in spoken Romanian. The top form cover about 100% of everyday use — learn these first.
după100%
Grammar Behavior
după + bare noun
No article is added: după școală, după muncă, după film.
Ce faci după școală?
What are you doing after school?
după + stressed pronoun
mine, tine, el, ea, noi, voi, ei — never the clitics.
A intrat după noi.
He came in after us.
după ce + indicative
The temporal conjunction. Romanian uses the present for future events here.
După ce ajung, îți scriu.
After I arrive, I'll write to you.
după aceea
A fixed adverb meaning "afterwards, then".
Mâncăm, și după aceea mergem.
We'll eat, and afterwards we'll go.
vs. înainte de
The direct opposite, "before". Note that it needs de, while după needs nothing.
înainte de masă / după masă
before the meal / after the meal
vs. în spatele
For purely physical "behind", în spatele is clearer; după can be ambiguous between place and time.
în spatele casei / după casă
behind the house (both, the first unambiguous)
vs. peste
peste measures forward from now ("in two hours"); după places an event after another one.
peste două ore / după două ore
in two hours / after two hours
Examples
Ne vedem după prânz.
We'll meet after lunch.
după - The plain temporal use. The noun after it stays bare — no article is added.
După ce mănânc, plec.
After I eat, I'll leave.
după ce - The conjunction. Both verbs stay in the present, and the present carries the future meaning in both halves.
După mine, are dreptate.
In my opinion, he's right.
după - The "according to" sense, with the stressed pronoun mine. Every preposition takes the stressed series.
Magazinul e după colț.
The shop is around the corner.
după - Spatial use. Romanian says "after the corner" where English says "around" it.
Vin după tine la șapte.
I'll come and get you at seven.
după - a veni după somebody means to fetch them, not merely to follow them.
După amiază means "afternoon", but după masă means both "after the meal" and "in the afternoon" — the second sense is the everyday one. If you want to be understood as "after we eat", say după ce mâncăm instead.
In expressions
Common phrases built around după — worth learning as whole units.
după ce— after (doing something)
lit. “after that”