以后 vs 然后 vs 后来 (then / after)

A plan's next step differs from a later story

You first eat and then plan to study; later you describe what actually happened.
first先xiāneat吃饭chī fàn，then然后rán hòuto learn学习xué xí。later后来hòu láiwe我们wǒ menagain又yòuvariant of 复习复习fù xí(completed / change)了leone time (all the way…一遍yī biàn。 — then然后rán hòu gives the next step, while later后来hòu lái introduces the later part of the account.

Practice

You first eat and then plan to study; later you describe what actually happened. What does 先吃饭，然后学习。后来我们又复习了一遍。 communicate?

然后 can be used only for past stories and never for future plans.
然后 gives the next step, while 后来 introduces the later part of the account.

Build the form

The pattern in this lesson is after以后yǐ hòu vs then然后rán hòu vs later后来hòu lái (then / after). 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.

first先xiāneat吃饭chī fàn，then然后rán hòusleep睡觉shuì jiào。

Practice

Using the lesson pattern in this demonstrated example: Eat first, then sleep: 先吃饭，____ 睡觉。

Read examples in context

later后来hòu láiwe我们wǒ mennot没méigo去qù。

In the opening example, first先xiāneat吃饭chī fàn，then然后rán hòuto learn学习xué xí。later后来hòu láiwe我们wǒ menagain又yòuvariant of 复习复习fù xí(completed / change)了leone time (all the way…一遍yī biàn。: then然后rán hòu gives the next step, while later后来hòu lái introduces the later part of the account.
Explain who acts, what is described and which time or group is relevant before choosing an English paraphrase.

Practice

Which word naturally introduces a later turn in a past narrative rather than standing alone to mean in the future?

后来 (later — past)
以后 (after / future)

Practice

Match each word to its use.

after / in the future

and then (next step)

later (past only)

以后
然后
后来

Practice

Build: “Eat first, then sleep.”

先吃饭 (eat first)
然后 (then)
睡觉 (sleep)

Know the boundary

after以后yǐ hòu can follow a reference event: eat吃饭chī fànafter以后yǐ hòuto learn学习xué xí.
A future plan does not normally use later后来hòu lái to mean next; choose from temporal relationship, not the shared English word then.

Practice

In the opening situation: 然后 gives the next step, while 后来 introduces the later part of the account.

Use the distinction

Key idea

then然后rán hòu gives the next step, while later后来hòu lái introduces the later part of the account.
after以后yǐ hòu can follow a reference event: eat吃饭chī fànafter以后yǐ hòuto learn学习xué xí. A future plan does not normally use later后来hòu lái to mean next; choose from temporal relationship, not the shared English word then.

Read the full reference: HSK 3 grammar — Comparing time words.

Practice

You first eat and then plan to study; later you describe what actually happened. 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.