Some words in Italian you will hear multiple times during the course of the day, and dopo is one of them. What’s more, it can function, not only as an adverb, but also as a preposition, conjunction, adjective and noun – talk about flexible!
dopo
after / later / next
1. DOPO as an adverb
When dopo is used as an adverb – meaning that dopo modifies or qualifies a verb, adjective or other adverb – the best translation is usually after or later.
La lettera B viene dopo la lettera A.
The letter B comes after the letter A.
Ci vediamo dopo!
See you later!
(lit: We see each other later!)
2. DOPO as a preposition
A preposition is a function word that shows the relationship between elements in a sentence, usually indicating direction, time, place, position, or exclusion. Some of the most common Italian prepositions include a (to), in (in), da (from), di (of) but in some cases, dopo can function as a preposition too!
When used as a preposition, the best translation is almost always after.
Dopo il semaforo, vedrai una bellissima casa.
After the traffic light, you will see a beautiful house.
Sono sempre stanco dopo le vacanze.
I am always tired after the holidays.
3. DOPO as a conjunction
Used as a conjunction, dopo introduces a temporal clause, or in other words, a clause which informs us about the time when the action of main verb of the sentence took place. This means it usually appears before che (that), il participio passato (the past participle) on its own, or l’infinito passato (auxiliary verb avere or essere + the past participle). That’s a lot of grammar to absorb, so let’s look at a few examples to simplify things!
Dopo mangiato, vai a fare un pisolino.
After eating, go take a nap.
Example with the past participle on its own – i.e. mangiato
Dopo aver dormito, ho fatto una passeggiata.
After sleeping, I went for a walk.
Example with the auxiliary avere (here shorten to aver) + past participle mangiato
Dopo che ho messo a posto il salotto, ho chiamato mia madre.
After tidying up the living room, I called my mother.
Example with dopo che, which may also be written as dopoché
4. DOPO as an adjective
Adjectives describe nouns, so if you see dopo appear immediately after a noun, rest assured it is probably an adjective. Here, the best translations are either after or following.
- il giorno dopo = the day after
- la settimana dopo = the following week
- l’anno dopo = the following year
You may also hear seguente as a synonym for dopo here.
Il giorno dopo, Giulia andò al mercato a comprare delle mele.
The next day, Giulia went to the market to buy some apples.
5. DOPO as a noun
The noun dopo, which is masculine, is used to talk about the future or things to come. It is invariable, meaning that it doesn’t change in the plural, but it’s very unlikely you will come across its plural form anyway.
Non voglio pensare al dopo.
I don’t want to think about the future.
Some common expressions featuring DOPO
Here we have a small handful of common expressions that contain dopo. Can you think of any others? Let us know in the comments below!
- uno dopo l’altro = one after the other
- dopodomani = the day after tomorrow
- dopodiché = after which / thereafter
- dopotutto (dopo tutto) = after all / all things considered
- passo dopo passo = step by step
- dopoché (dopo che) = after / when
- dopobarba = aftershave lotion (literally “after beard”!)
- dopocena = the time after dinner
- dopopranzo = the time after lunch
- dopoguerra = postwar
- dopolavoro = recreational activity (literally “after work”)
- A dopo! = See you later!
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
