Difference between revisions of "Comparing "houlai" and "ranhou""

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=== Examples ===
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#REDIRECT[[Comparing "yihou" "ranhou" "houlai"]]
 
 
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* 我们 先 去 吃饭 , <em>然后</em> 去 超市 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒmen xiān qù chīfàn, <em>ránhòu</em> qù chāoshì.</span><span class="trans">I'm going to eat, then I'll go to the supermarket.</span>
 
* 他 先 说 了 一 个 好 消息 , <em>然后</em> 又 说 了 一 个 坏 消息 。 <span class="pinyin">Tā xiān shuō le yī gè hǎo xiāoxi, <em>ránhòu</em> yòu shuō le yī gè huài xiāoxi.</span><span class="trans">First he told the good news, then he told the bad news.</span>
 
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== Examples of right and wrong sentences ==
 
== Examples of right and wrong sentences ==

Revision as of 09:00, 22 January 2018

One of the most often confused words are 后来 (hòulái) and 然后 (ránhòu). They are similar on the surface, meaning something like "and then," but their usage is fairly different.

后来 is used to describe previous things

后来 is a time noun, and it can only be used on its own. It describes a certain time period in the past to the present, and it allows the speaker to described what happened in that period.

Structure

Past Event 1 ,后来 ,Past Event 2

Examples

  • 1977 年 他 考上 了 北京 大学 ,后来 他 一直 待在 北京 。In 1977, he went to college. He has been there after that.

然后 is used to describe things happens next

然后 is always used in a sequence. It is often used with 先 (xiān, meaning "first").

Structure

Action 1,然后 + Action 2

  1. REDIRECTComparing "yihou" "ranhou" "houlai"

Examples of right and wrong sentences

Example Dialog

  • A: 我 先 去 你 家,然后 你 和 我 一起 去 见 她 ?First I'll go to your house, then you and I can go together to see her.
  • B: 对。你们 几 年 没 见 了 ?Sure. How many years has it been that you haven't seen each other?
  • A:两 年 前 她 出国 了, 后来 就 一直 没 见过 她 。She left the country two years ago. Since then, I haven't seen her.

Sources and further reading

Books

Dictionaries

HSK4