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How to say “in the future” in Chinese with 以后 (yǐhòu)

以后 (yǐhòu)，⋯⋯

以后 (yǐ hòu) — in the future

HSK 3Nouns

Rule structure

以后 (yǐhòu) at the beginning of a sentence means “in the future,” “from now on,” or “from this point forward.” In this position, it sets a general time frame for the following statement rather than describing what happens after a specific event.

Examples

以后，你不要问我。

Yǐhòu, nǐ búyào wèn wǒ.

In the future, don’t ask me.

你吃饭以后再看电视。

Nǐ chīfàn yǐhòu zài kàndiànshì.

After you eat, watch TV.

以后我要早睡。

Yǐhòu wǒ yào zǎoshuì.

In the future, I will go to bed early.

Practice

Build the sentence

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Characters

Words from this rule

以

yǐ

By means of, in order to

后

hòu

After, later; behind, back

你

nǐ

You

不要

bú yào

Don't want; don't

问

wèn

To ask

我

wǒ

I, me

吃

chī

To eat

饭

fàn

Meal, food; cooked rice

再

zài

Again, then

看

kàn

To look, to watch, to read

电视

diàn shì

Television, TV

要

yào

To want, need, to intend to do something

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “in the future” in Chinese with 以后?

Use the structure: 以后 (yǐhòu)，⋯⋯. For example: 以后，你不要问我。 — “In the future, don’t ask me”.

What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?

以后，你不要问我。 — “In the future, don’t ask me”.

Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?

This grammar rule is part of HSK 3.

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More HSK 3 grammar rules

刚才 — just now

刚才 (gāngcái) + Verb

时 — when, at the time of

Time + 时 (shí)

后来 — later, afterwards

Event 1，后来 (hòulái) Event 2

以前 — before, previously

以前 (yǐqián)，⋯⋯

一边 — doing two things at once

一边 (yìbiān) + Verb 1, 一边 (yìbiān) + Verb 2

如果…就 — if… then…

如果 (rúguǒ)……，就 (jiù)……

万 — big numbers

Number + 万 (wàn) / 亿 (yì)

地 — turning adjectives into adverbs

Adj. + 地 (de) + Verb