～てから
after doing
～てから links two actions in order: the second action happens after the first one is finished. It is made by taking the て-form of a verb and adding から, and it matches English “after doing ...”.
Be careful: から attached to a plain verb (行くから) means “because”. Only the combination て-form + から means “after”.
1. Doing things in order
Use ～てから to say that one action comes first, and another follows it.
家に帰ってから宿題をする。
“I do my homework after coming home.”
- 家（いえ）= home, house
- に = destination marker (to)
- 帰ってから（かえってから）= after returning
- 宿題（しゅくだい）= homework
- を = object marker
- する = to do
2. The starting point of a period
～てから can also mark the moment when a situation began, like English “since ...”.
日本に来てから、三年になります。
“It has been three years since I came to Japan.”
- 日本（にほん）= Japan
- に = destination marker (to)
- 来てから（きてから）= since coming
- 三年（さんねん）= three years
- になります = it becomes, it has been
How to form it
Verb て-form + から
- 帰る（かえる）= to return → 帰ってから（かえってから）= after returning
- 食べる（たべる）= to eat → 食べてから（たべてから）= after eating
- 来る（くる）= to come → 来てから（きてから）= after coming
Key idea
～てから draws a clear line in time: first finish action one, then action two. The first action is the doorway you pass through before the second can happen.
Other N5 grammar
Updated .