Use the examples with their context and limits. Recall a sentence before reading the model. Original teaching additions accompany examples adapted from Chinese Grammar Wiki (AllSet Learning, CC BY-NC-SA); see the course reference provenance.
以后 vs 的时候 (after vs when)
After an event differs from during it
- You leave when class has finished.
- 下课以后，我回家。 — 以后 locates the going home after the class ends.
Build the form
- The pattern in this lesson is 以后 vs 的时候 (after vs when). Locate it in the original interlinear examples below.
- Keep the words in their demonstrated positions; the pattern must fit the intended situation as well as the sentence form.
finish class下课after以后，I我go home回家。
Read examples in context
eat吃饭when的时候，don't别talk说话。
- In the opening example, 下课以后，我回家。: 以后 locates the going home after the class ends.
- Explain who acts, what is described and which time or group is relevant before choosing an English paraphrase.
Know the boundary
- 上课的时候 instead locates an action during class.
- The relation comes from the chosen event; 的时候 can refer to an event moment as well as an extended activity.
Use the distinction
- 以后 locates the going home after the class ends.
- 上课的时候 instead locates an action during class. The relation comes from the chosen event; 的时候 can refer to an event moment as well as an extended activity.
Try it with help closed
You leave when class has finished. Close the examples. Say a Mandarin response, then write it in Chinese. Explain briefly in English what the lesson’s pattern adds. Compare with the model, then change one detail and try again.
One possible response: 下课以后，我回家。
- My response conveys a message that fits the opening situation.
- I can explain the meaning of the pattern, rather than only naming it.
- 上课的时候 instead locates an action during class.
- The relation comes from the chosen event; 的时候 can refer to an event moment as well as an extended activity.
- I tried a second response with a name, time, place, or description changed.