Grammar Explanation
When you want to say “After I did something, then I did something else”, simply add “完 wán” to the verb in the first clause and then insert “就 jiù” at the beginning of the second clause. In this sentence pattern, “了 le” indicates that the action has been completed.
Indicating action that has already happened:
| S | V | 完 | O， | 就 | V | 了 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| xiǎomínɡ | chī | wán | fàn, | jiù | qù pǎobù | le. |
| 小明 | 吃 | 完 | 饭， | 就 | 去 跑步 | 了。 |
After eating, Xiao Ming went jogging.
| tā | kàn | wán | diànshì, | jiù | shuìjiào | le. |
| 她 | 看 | 完 | 电视， | 就 | 睡觉 | 了。 |
After watching TV, she went to sleep.
If there is a subject stated in the second clause, “就” should be put after the subject.
| V | 完 | O， | S | 就 | V | 了 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| xià | wán | yǔ, | tāmen | jiù | chūqù | le. |
| 下 | 完 | 雨， | 他们 | 就 | 出去 | 了。 |
After it rained, they went out.
| dǎ | wán | lánqiú, | wǒmen | jiù | qù xǐzǎo | le. |
| 打 | 完 | 篮球， | 我们 | 就 | 去 洗澡 | 了。 |
After playing basketball, we took a shower.
Indicating action that will happen in the future:
| S | V | 完 | O， | 就 | 要 | V | 了 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| tā | shànɡ | wán | kè, | jiù | yào | huíjiā | le. |
| 她 | 上 | 完 | 课， | 就 | 要 | 回家 | 了。 |
After taking the class, she will go home.
| wǒmen | kàn | wán | NBA, | jiù | yào | huíɡuó | le. |
| 我们 | 看 | 完 | NBA， | 就 | 要 | 回国 | 了。 |
After watching NBA, we will return to our country.
Indicating a habitual action:
To express that the action is habitual and doesn’t refer to the tense, simply remove “了” in the above sentences.
E.g.
tā kàn wán diànshì， jiù shuìjiào.
她看完电视，就睡觉。
Whenever she finishes watching TV, she would go to bed.
xiǎo mínɡ chī wán fàn, jiù qù pǎobù.
小明吃完饭，就去跑步。
Xiao Ming (always) goes running after eating meals.