Put events in order: 〜まえに before, 〜あとで and 〜てから after, 〜とき for 'when'. から and まで bracket spans, ごろ and ぐらい approximate, and もう/まだ track what's done.
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V(辞書形)/Nの + 前に
Indicates that something happens before an action or event.
More examples: 〜前にV(た形)/Nの + あとで
Indicates that something happens after an action or event.
More examples: 〜あとでV/adj/Nの + とき
Means "at the time of ...". The tense of the clause before とき shows whether the action is complete.
More examples: 〜ときThe sun in a window frame — one day.
A dry pole at the top of the slide — the sun at its peak: noon.
The moon with two ribs — a month of moons.
Dirt sliding down a slide onto legs — whoever slides first goes before.
A gun mounted by the window — every. single. day.
A gun and a cow — a whole year of farm work.
Rice sprouting from the ground — dinner says come.
Loitering through poop in winter — you've fallen behind.
V1(て形) + から、V2
Indicates that V2 happens after V1 is completed, with a sense of sequence.
N + から
Marks the starting point in time or space. Often paired with まで (until).
More examples: 〜から(起点)time + ごろ
Approximates a point in time (around 3 o'clock). Use ぐらい for amounts, ごろ for clock times.
More examples: 〜ごろquantity + ぐらい
Expresses an approximate amount or duration.
More examples: 〜ぐらい/くらいもう + past / まだ + negative
もう means "already" with the past tense; まだ means "still" or, with a negative, "not yet".
More examples: もう/まだbefore ...
morning · あさ