French Phrase
Après, je prépare le dîner.
Meaning
The sentence means ‘Afterwards, I’m preparing dinner.’ It signals that the speaker will start cooking after finishing something else that was mentioned before.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to describe the next step in your daily routine, especially after work, school, or another activity. It works well in casual conversation or when narrating a schedule.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Après,jeprépareledîner.
Après (adverb)
Used alone, ‘Après’ means ‘afterwards’ or ‘later’. It can introduce a new action that follows the previous one.
Subject pronoun – je
‘Je’ is the first‑person singular subject pronoun, placed before the verb.
Présent de l’indicatif – préparer
‘Préparer’ is conjugated in the present tense: je prépare, indicating a habitual or immediate action.
Definite article – le
‘Le’ specifies a particular dinner that the speaker is about to make.
Noun – dîner
‘Dîner’ means ‘dinner’; in France it is usually the main evening meal.
🗨In Conversation
Qu’est‑ce que tu fais après le travail ?
What are you doing after work?
Après, je prépare le dîner.
Afterwards, I’m preparing dinner.
✕Common Mistakes
Après je prépare le dîner.
Missing comma makes the sentence sound rushed; ‘Après’ should be set off with a pause or a comma.
Après que je prépare le dîner.
‘Après que’ requires a finite verb in the subjunctive (e.g., ‘Après que j’aie préparé le dîner’). Use the simple adverb ‘Après’ for this structure.
Après, je prépare le dîneres.
‘Dîner’ is a masculine noun; it never takes an ‘-es’ ending.
↔Alternatives
Ensuite, je prépare le dîner.
Then, I prepare dinner.
Après ça, je prépare le dîner.
After that, I prepare dinner.
Après le travail, je prépare le dîner.
After work, I prepare dinner.
Cultural Tip
In France, dinner (le dîner) is typically served between 7 pm and 9 pm. Mentioning that you’re preparing dinner often implies a relaxed, family‑oriented evening. Using ‘Après’ without a specific reference is common in spoken French, but in formal writing you’d usually specify what comes first (e.g., ‘Après le travail…’).