"Despúes" or "despúes de"

Question

Hello. I'm confused about proper usage of "despúes de" and "despúes" (without the "de"). I've used "despúes de" in the following sentence:

"La lluvia es muy importante para ellos despúes de la época de sequía larga."

I have two questions: 1. Is my use of "despúes de" here correct? 2. Is my sentence even gramatically correct?

Thank you so much in advance for any help!

Welcme to SD amiga. - ian-hill, Jul 26, 2015

Answer 1

I have two questions: 1. Is my use of "despúes de" here correct? 2. Is my sentence even gramatically correct?

Yes to both questions.

Even though, according to jphip's explanation the usage of de and de que are both valid when used before verbs, there are times when only one variant is used in contemporary speech depending on the kind of verb, ie: Antes de llover, la sequía es profunda (not "de que" before infinitive) / Antes de que llueva, la sequía es profunda (not just "de" before subjunctive) / Cuando se acaba la sequía, la lluvia es muy importante después.

Also where some grammarians may consider both de and de que correct for phrases such as Después que te fuiste, llamó tu hermano y Después de que te fuiste, llamó tu hermano, de que is much more common in contemporary speech and would be considered the most natural sounding of the two variants.

**Thank you**, JulianChivi, for a straightforward and clear answer!!! You're a godsend! - tesss, Jul 26, 2015

Answer 2

Hi Tesss

You've got "después de" usage correct.

You use "despues" with out the "de" in the following instance.

Llegué a casa primero, mi hermano llegó después. (I arrived home first my brother arrived later"

When después means just "later" not "after" as in "after arriving home" "después de llegar a casa" or "after arriving home" or "después de que llegué a casa" "After (that) I arrived home. When it sort of stands alone, "duepués" like in my first sentence above you don't need the "de" or the "de que"

Sheesh! I hope I didn't make this too complicated.

Thanks so much, Daniela! You've (very clearly) explained it well, and in the process, have confirmed to me what I've suspected to be the difference in usage of the one with the "de" and the one without. - tesss, Jul 27, 2015

Really really appreciate your explaining this to me! - tesss, Jul 27, 2015

Answer 3

Tesss:

Look at it in English, first. That means you need to translate that to English.

See where it gets you.

Edit:

Might sounds weird, but the following works.

Translate from Spanish to English. You are going to learn Spanish easily and faster. But you have to do the translation, not an electronic translator. Let your head be translator.

I only wanted to ask whether I used "*después de*" correctly or incorrectly the way I did. I originally wanted to say "Rain is very important to them after the long dry period." - tesss, Jul 26, 2015

I've just started to learn Spanish and I need a lot of help. I didn't mean to commit a sin. ;-) :-| - tesss, Jul 26, 2015

Not at all. Please read my edit. - chileno, Jul 27, 2015

Thanks for the tip, chileno. Appreciate it. Will do. - tesss, Jul 27, 2015

Answer 4

1. después que o después de que. Con significado temporal, ambas construcciones son válidas. En un principio, precediendo a la oración que expresa el acontecimiento que se toma como referencia, se usó solo la locución conjuntiva después que (en latín, post quam, postquam): «E después que esto ovo fecho, dixo que se quería tornar para su tierra» (Sendebar [Esp. 1253]). Cuando el término de referencia temporal no es una oración con verbo en forma personal, sino un sustantivo, un pronombre o un infinitivo, ha de usarse el adverbio después seguido de la preposición de: «Estábamos todos sentados en el corredor tomando el sol después de comer» (González Dios [Méx. 1999]). Del cruce de después que y después de surgió después de que, variante de la locución conjuntiva que algunos gramáticos censuraron en un principio por dequeísta (? dequeísmo), pero que hoy se considera válida. Así, es igualmente correcto decir Después que te fuiste, llamó tu hermano y Después de que te fuiste, llamó tu hermano.

Here is somethung similar. You can use both. - jphip, Jul 26, 2015

bonito corta-pega - 000a35ff, Jul 26, 2015