Uso de "Beforehand" y "Afterwards" en Frases Temporales

Curso de Inglés Intermedio B1: Preguntas Negativas y Recomendaciones

Contenido del curso

Introduction

1
Estructuras Paralelas y Preguntas Negativas en Inglés B1 Intermedio
02:00 min

Grammar structures in the News and on TV

Recommendations, Expectations, and Negative Questions

Adverbs and Prepositions

See you next time!

21
Técnicas Avanzadas de Escritura Formal en Español
01:12 min

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Cursos Empresas Blog Live Conf Eventos Precios

0:002:48

Uso de "Beforehand" y "Afterwards" en Frases Temporales

Curso de Inglés Intermedio B1: Preguntas Negativas y Recomendaciones

Clase 16 de 21

Clase 16 / 21

Recursos

Understanding how to talk about the order of events is essential for clear communication in English. Two powerful adverbs that help you do exactly that are beforehand and afterwards. These words indicate whether something happened earlier or later in relation to another event, and mastering them will make your spoken and written English more precise and natural.

What do beforehand and afterwards mean?

These two words are antonyms, meaning they express opposite ideas. Both are used to talk about a moment in time, not a place [01:00].

Beforehand means at an earlier or preceding time.
Afterwards means at a later or succeeding time.

A helpful way to remember: beforehand points backward in time, while afterwards points forward. Neither word needs an object after it — they work perfectly on their own at the end of a sentence or clause.

How are they used in real sentences?

Consider this sports example [01:22]: The players warmed up beforehand. During the first half, they scored a goal. Two more goals followed afterwards. Here, beforehand tells us the warm-up happened before the game started, and afterwards tells us the two additional goals came after halftime.

More examples from the lesson [01:50]:

He broke the chair. I found him sitting down on the floor afterwards. — He was on the floor at a later time, after breaking the chair.
The journalist knew about the announcement beforehand, and that is why she was first to the store. — She had the information at an earlier time, which gave her an advantage.

How can you identify the correct time reference?

Practice exercises help reinforce the meaning of each word. Look at this passage [02:12]: The doctors worked hard on the research until they had a breakthrough. The vaccine was made afterwards. Too many lives were lost beforehand.

The question is: what happened before? The answer is that many lives were lost. The word beforehand signals this event occurred at an earlier point in the timeline — before the breakthrough and the vaccine.

What does afterwards tell us in context?

Here is another exercise [02:42]: The apartment building was completed in January. Then the earthquake damaged the structure. People couldn't use it afterwards.

The word afterwards makes it clear that people were unable to use the building after the earthquake. The sequence is: completion, then earthquake, then inability to use the building. Recognizing the order of events through these adverbs is a skill that improves both reading comprehension and writing clarity.

How can you practice using these words?

A great strategy is to think of a sequence of events from your own life and describe them using beforehand and afterwards. For instance:

I studied for weeks beforehand. The exam went well. I celebrated with friends afterwards.

Notice how each sentence flows naturally into the next, creating a clear timeline. Try building your own sentences following this pattern, and pay attention to how native speakers use these adverbs in conversations, news reports, and written texts.

What real-life situations can you describe using beforehand and afterwards? Share your examples and keep practicing!

Alejandro Zuñiga Saavedra

Hace 2 años

Beforehand / Afterwards.

Practice:

What happened before?

The doctors worked hard on the research until they had a breakthrough. The vaccine was made afterwards. Too many lives were lost beforehand.

Many lives were lost.

What did not happen next?

The apartment building was completed in January. Then the earthquake damaged the structure. People couldn’t use it afterwards.

People couldn’t use the apartment building.

Worksheet:

Use beforehand and afterwards in the following text to complete the gaps:

From: nasa.mechanics@nasa.com

To: nasa.shipcontrol@nasa.com

Dear NASA control,

The following email is to let you know how the process of requests and installment is going to work moving forward. We have had issues regarding delays and shipment of our parts, and thus we want to be clear in how this should be done.

To start, the invoice with all the parts should be sent 1) _Beforehand_ directly to the line manager, so he can clear the purchase and validate the availability of the parts in stock. Any mods and specifications should be made clear 2) _Beforehand_ as well. Any changes made 3) _afterwards_ will not be included and will be treated as a separate request. We regret any inconveniences this may cause, but this should streamline the process and avoid possible parts misplacement.

As the parts are being assembled and packaged for transport, the courier should work together with the mechanic to verify the contents. Any discrepancies between the order contents and the checklist are to be reported immediately. Failure to do so will incur in payroll deductions to those involved and a warning note 4) _afterwards_.

When installing the parts, the corresponding mechanic will have to check and take note of serial numbers 5) _beforehand_ and then proceed to install them.

We would like for all members of the team involved to acknowledge and accept this email. Doing so will mean you have been noticed and any excuses 6) _afterward_ will not be valid.

Kind regards,

NASA Mechanics Team

Comentarios (62)62 comentarios

Maria Alejandra Liscano

Hace 5 años

Beforehand means an earlier or preceding time while Afterwards means a later or succeeding time.

Practice

Too many lives were lost.
Couldn't use the apartaments building

Felipe Bernardo González Barranco

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

Angel Daniel Leiva Rivas

Hace 4 años

Daniela Andrea Contreras Pérez

First: Too many lives were lost Second: Doctors worked hard on the research Third: The vaccine was made.

First: The apartment building was completed Second: The earthquake damaged the structure Third: People could not use it

Beforehand
Beforehand
Afterwards
Afterwards
Beforehand
Afterwards

Jennifer Lisandra García Orellana

"Beforehand" significa "antes" o "previamente", mientras que "afterwards" se traduce como "después" o "posteriormente". Ambos términos se utilizan para referirse a momentos en el tiempo; "beforehand" indica algo que ocurre antes de un evento, mientras que "afterwards" señala lo que sucede después. Ejemplos en contexto son: "We will meet beforehand" (Nos reuniremos antes) y "We will discuss it afterwards" (Lo discutiremos después).

Obdaly Garay

Is there any difference between afterward and afterwards? Thanks, Platzi.

Norma Natalia Moreno Espinoza

hello! 👋

There is no difference between afterward and ++afterward++s. Neither is more correct or incorrect than the other, and both appear throughout the English-speaking world. North American writers tend to favor afterward, while English speakers from outside the U.S. and Canada tend to favor afterwards,

Never stop learning~ 💚

Brenda Rubidia Paz Alvarez

She called me beforehand to let me know she was coming. The journalist knew about the announcement beforehand. We went to buy an ice cream afterward to see the movie. We had a swim and afterward, we lay on the beach for a while.

Cristian Camilo Bulla Murcia

Daniel Steven Carrera Osorno

Hace un año

I took all the medicines beforehand, so the surgery went different.
They travel to the beach in the afternoon, and afterward, they saw the tsunami coming to the shore.

NESTOR IVAN RONCANCIO CABALLERO

Hace 2 meses

Dear NASA control, The following email is to let you know how the process of requests and installment is going to work moving forward. We have had issues regarding delays and shipment of our parts, and thus we want to be clear in how this should be done. To start, the invoice with all the parts should be sent 1) beforehand directly to the line manager, so he can clear the purchase and validate the availability of the parts in stock. Any mods and specifications should be made clear 2) beforehand as well. Any changes made 3) afterwards will not be included and will be treated as a separate request. We regret any inconveniences this may cause, but this should streamline the process and avoid possible parts misplacement. As the parts are being assembled and packaged for transport, the courier should work together with the mechanic to verify the contents. Any discrepancies between the order contents and the checklist are to be reported immediately. Failure to do so will incur in payroll deductions to those involved and a warning note 4) Beforehand.When installing the parts, the corresponding mechanic will have to check and take note of serial numbers 5) Beforehand and then proceed to install them. We would like for all members of the team involved to acknowledge and accept this email. Doing so will mean you have been noticed and any excuses 6) afterwards will not be valid. Kind regards, NASA Mechanics Team

MILAGRO DE LA PAZ JIMENEZ QUINTANILLA

Hace 5 meses

¿Cómo ubico estas palabras al escribir?

La posición más natural, frecuente y segura para colocar beforehand y afterwards es al final de la cláusula u oración. Como son adverbios de tiempo, su función principal dentro de la estructura gramatical es modificar toda la acción que acaba de ser descrita, dándole un cierre temporal definitivo.

Piensa en estas palabras como el punto final de tu idea cronológica. Si dices "She prepared the presentation beforehand", la acción principal (preparar la presentación) se establece primero para dar contexto, y el adverbio entra justo al final para aclarar exactamente cuándo sucedió (con antelación). Aunque el idioma inglés es bastante flexible en muchos aspectos, dominar esta estructura básica colocándolas al final te dará una cadencia mucho más fluida, profesional y fácil de procesar para cualquier interlocutor nativo que te esté escuchando.

¿Cuándo debo usar beforehand y no before?

Usa beforehand cuando el evento de referencia ya está implícito o se mencionó previamente, y quieres evitar ser repetitivo en tu discurso. Mientras que la palabra before necesita ir obligatoriamente acompañada de un sustantivo o una acción específica (por ejemplo, before the meeting o before we eat), beforehand funciona de forma totalmente independiente como un adverbio que significa "con antelación" o "de antemano".

Imagina que estás organizando una fiesta con tus amigos. En lugar de decir "We need to buy ice before the party", puedes establecer el contexto y decir "We are having a party tonight. We need to buy ice beforehand". Es una forma mucho más natural, elegante y fluida de conectar ideas sin sonar redundante. Dominar esta pequeña diferencia te ayudará a sonar inmediatamente como un hablante nativo, ya que te permite resumir todo el contexto temporal en una sola palabra muy poderosa.

Adriana Godoy Figueroa

What is the difference between 'after' and 'afterwards' both talks about time, isn't it?

Rene Francisco Lora Gonzalez

Profesor

Hace 3 años

Usually "afterwards" is used in more serious conversation or contexts. They are synonymous.

Ronald Gutiérrez

I should have called beforehand to confirm the reservation. (Debí haber llamado antes para confirmar la reserva.)
Please let me know beforehand if you can’t attend the meeting. (Por favor avísame con anticipación si no puedes asistir a la reunión.)
We prepared everything beforehand, so the event went smoothly. (Preparamos todo de antemano, así que el evento salió bien.)
We went to the museum, and afterwards we had lunch. (Fuimos al museo y después almorzamos.)
She felt a bit tired afterwards, but she enjoyed the hike. (Se sintió un poco cansada después, pero disfrutó la caminata.)
He apologized afterwards for being late. (Se disculpó después por llegar tarde.)

Diego Castro

🤔 Beforehand=Previamente

🤔 Afterwards= Posteriormente

Example:

🤕 The apartment building was completes in january.

Then the earthquake damaged the structure.

Peope coundn´t use it afterwards.

Julián Núñez

-I've been studying so hard since last week, because an agent from one of my dream jobs called me, she told me I needed to be prepared on Friday for our first interview. Therefore I'm preparing beforehand for anything she might ask me. A friend of mine recommended being myself and preparing for any technical questions which I told him "I'll do so" and afterwards he suggested not being afraid

Carolina Echeverria

I prepared all the documents beforehand, so the meeting went smoothly.
We went to the park in the morning, and afterward, we had lunch at a nearby café.

Camilo Andrés Villegas Roche

Nice worksheet! a lot of vocabulary to learn!

Natalia Andrea Rodríguez Rodríguez

Beforehand - Afterwards

The players warmed up beforehand. Then during the first half they scored a goal. Two more goals followed afterwards in the next half.

Fernando Leaños Huerta

I had this document beforehand.

We need to build the apartment afterward, once the land is prepared.

Eduardo Johnson A.

1 beforehand

2 beforehand

3 afterwards

4 afterwards

5 beforehand

6 afterwards

Juan Felipe Angarita Lopez

Beforehand (Antes / Con antelación):

Inglés: "Beforehand" se refiere a hacer algo con anticipación o previo a un evento o acción principal.Ejemplo: "He prepared his presentation beforehand to ensure it went smoothly."
Español: "Beforehand" se traduce como "antes" o "con antelación", indicando que algo se realiza previamente a otro evento o acción.Ejemplo: "Preparó su presentación con antelación para asegurarse de que saliera bien."

Afterwards (Después / Posteriormente):

Inglés: "Afterwards" se refiere a algo que ocurre o se realiza posteriormente a un evento o acción principal.Ejemplo: "They discussed the results afterwards to analyze their impact."
Español: "Afterwards" se traduce como "después" o "posteriormente", indicando que algo se lleva a cabo después de otro evento o acción.Ejemplo: "Discutieron los resultados posteriormente para analizar su impacto."

Es importante proporcionar ejemplos claros y relacionados con situaciones cotidianas para ayudar a los estudiantes a comprender mejor el significado y el uso de estas palabras en inglés y español.

Introduction

Estructuras Paralelas y Preguntas Negativas en Inglés B1 Intermedio

Grammar structures in the News and on TV

Estructuras Paralelas en Gramática de Noticias y Televisión

Omisión de Palabras en Estructuras Paralelas

Uso del Reported Speech en Inglés: Cambios en Tiempos Verbales

Análisis de un Discurso Histórico Importante

Oraciones de Relativo con Infinitivos en Inglés

Uso de Gerundios para Transformar Oraciones Relativas

Uso de Cláusulas Complementarias con Gerundios

Recommendations, Expectations, and Negative Questions

Uso de "Advise", "Recommend" y "Suggest" en Inglés

Uso de Preguntas Negativas en Inglés para Sorpresa y Sugerencias

Corrección de errores con "Thought" en inglés

Uso del Gerundio para Expresar Disgusto en Inglés

Práctica de conversación en inglés (contexto profesional)

Adverbs and Prepositions

Uso de "So" y "Therefore" en Causa y Efecto

Uso de "So" como Sustituto en Inglés

Uso de "Beforehand" y "Afterwards" en Frases Temporales

Uso correcto de "between" y "among" en inglés

Uso del adjetivo y adverbio "only" en inglés

Estructura "For + Sustantivo/Pronombre + Infinitivo" en Inglés

Cuidados de la Voz para Músicos Emergentes

See you next time!

Técnicas Avanzadas de Escritura Formal en Español

Uso de "Beforehand" y "Afterwards" en Frases Temporales

Progreso del curso

Introduction

Grammar structures in the News and on TV

Recommendations, Expectations, and Negative Questions

Adverbs and Prepositions

See you next time!

Recursos

Recursos