Post places something later than another event, time, or item in an ordered sequence. Its core relation is “following X”: temporal post la kunveno means after the meeting, while sequential post ŝi means behind or following her in an order. The complement after post is normally unmarked; do not add -n merely because time advances or someone moves.
Later than an event or time
The most frequent use is temporal. The complement supplies the event or reference point that comes first.
Ni trinkos kafon post la kunveno, kiam ĉiuj havos pli da tempo.
We will have coffee after the meeting, when everyone has more time.
Post la pluvo la aero estis freŝa, kaj la infanoj denove eliris.
After the rain, the air was fresh, and the children went outside again.
Ĉu vi povas telefoni post la oka? — Jes, mi tiam estos hejme.
Can you call after eight? — Yes, I will be home then.
Post already marks the temporal relationship, so its complement has no accusative: post la kunveno, post la oka, post longa paŭzo. English case gives no useful clue here; the Esperanto preposition is the role-marker.
Contrast post la oka with je la oka. The first means later than eight; the second locates an event at eight.
La filmo komenciĝos je la oka, kaj ni renkontiĝos post la filmo ĉe la elirejo.
The film will begin at eight, and we will meet after the film by the exit.
Post a duration: a later point, not continuous duration
With a quantity of time, post locates an event after that interval has elapsed.
Mi revenos post du horoj; ne atendu min por tagmanĝo.
I will return in two hours; do not wait for me for lunch.
La kuracisto revokis min post tri tagoj por demandi pri la simptomoj.
The doctor called me back three days later to ask about the symptoms.
This is the usual Esperanto solution for future English “in two hours.” Compare three different timelines:
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Mi revenos post du horoj. | I will return when two hours have elapsed. |
| Mi finis ĝin en du horoj. | I needed two hours to complete it. |
| Mi laboris dum du horoj. | The work continued for two hours. |
The plural horoj after post remains unmarked. A separate measure placed before the prepositional phrase can take -n:
Dek minutojn post la komenco, la sono subite malaperis.
Ten minutes after the start, the sound suddenly disappeared.
Here dek minutojn measures the temporal distance. La komenco, the actual complement of post, has no -n. The two phrases have different grammatical jobs.
Post, antaŭ, dum, and ĝis
These prepositions organize time in different ways.
Antaŭ la koncerto ni vespermanĝis, dum la koncerto ni malŝaltis niajn telefonojn, kaj post la koncerto ni iris hejmen.
Before the concert we had dinner, during the concert we turned off our phones, and after the concert we went home.
Antaŭ places an event earlier, dum locates it inside a continuing period, and post places it later. Ĝis instead marks the endpoint up to which something continues:
Mi laboris ĝis la sesa kaj ripozis post la laboro.
I worked until six and rested after work.
Do not choose by the English word alone. English “after working for two hours” contains both a duration and a following event; Esperanto can express both: post duhora laboro or post kiam mi laboris dum du horoj.
Post kiam before a clause
When the reference point is a complete finite clause, use post kiam.
Post kiam Ana alvenis, ni kune kontrolis la rezervon.
After Ana arrived, we checked the reservation together.
Mi sendos al vi la fotojn post kiam mi revenos hejmen.
I will send you the photos after I return home.
Esperanto marks the actual time of the subordinate event. A future return therefore takes revenos, even though English normally uses a present form after “after.” A past event takes -is.
Theoretical post ol is attested but rare. Neutral contemporary Esperanto strongly prefers post kiam for a finite time clause. For the wider tense system, see time clauses.
Following in an order
Post also places one item later in a sequence. This use can combine order with physical following.
En la listo via nomo aperas tuj post la mia.
On the list, your name appears immediately after mine.
La infanoj eniris unu post la alia por ne bloki la pordon.
The children entered one after another so as not to block the door.
Mi veturis post la ruĝa aŭto ĝis ĝi turniĝis dekstren.
I drove behind the red car until it turned right.
In the last example, the red car is both physically ahead and earlier in a moving sequence. That combined meaning remains fully normal.
Purely spatial post and modern malantaŭ
Older and foundationally attested Esperanto sometimes uses local post for “behind”: kaŝi sin post ŝtono. In contemporary neutral usage, purely spatial malantaŭ is normally clearer.
La ĝardeno estas malantaŭ la domo, ne apud la garaĝo.
The garden is behind the house, not beside the garage.
When movement reaches a position behind something, use directional malantaŭ + -n:
Ŝi metis la valizon malantaŭ la pordon por liberigi la koridoron.
She put the suitcase behind the door to clear the hallway.
Directional post + -n is theoretically possible as a local construction but is now scarcely used. The pedagogical recommendation is simple: reserve post for time and sequence; use malantaŭ for an ordinary spatial location or destination. This separates accepted historical usage from current default style.
Poste, posta, and compounds
With no expressed complement, poste means “afterward/later.” Posta means later, following, or subsequent.
Unue ni solvu la teknikajn problemojn; poste ni diskutos la buĝeton.
First let’s solve the technical problems; afterward we will discuss the budget.
La posta trajno foriros nur je la deka, do ni prenu ĉi tiun.
The next train will not leave until ten, so let’s take this one.
Productive compounds preserve the following-time relation: postmorgaŭ “the day after tomorrow,” posttagmezo “afternoon,” postmilita “postwar,” and postskribo “postscript.” Conventional compounds must be learned as complete words; not every English word beginning with “post-” has an automatic Esperanto counterpart.
Norm and register
Temporal and sequential post are foundational and neutral. Post kiam is the ordinary clausal connector. Purely local post is valid and historically common but now rare; malantaŭ is the contemporary default. Poste, posta, and the common compounds above are neutral across speech and writing.
Common Mistakes
Adding -n to the complement of temporal post
❌ Ni renkontiĝos post du horojn.
Incorrect — post already marks the temporal relationship.
✅ Ni renkontiĝos post du horoj.
We will meet in two hours.
Putting a finite clause directly after post
❌ Post mi finis la raporton, mi fermis la komputilon.
Incorrect in neutral Esperanto — a finite time clause normally needs kiam.
✅ Post kiam mi finis la raporton, mi fermis la komputilon.
After I finished the report, I shut down the computer.
Confusing poste with post
❌ Poste la kunveno ni iros vespermanĝi.
Incorrect — poste stands independently and cannot introduce this noun phrase.
✅ Post la kunveno ni iros vespermanĝi.
After the meeting, we will go have dinner.
Using post for a continuing duration
❌ Mi atendis post du horoj antaŭ ol ŝi respondis.
Incorrect for a two-hour duration — post locates something later.
✅ Mi atendis dum du horoj antaŭ ol ŝi respondis.
I waited for two hours before she replied.
Using rare local post as the modern default
❌ Ŝi metis la valizon post la pordo.
Historically understandable as local post, but a poor neutral modern choice for the intended destination behind the door.
✅ Ŝi metis la valizon malantaŭ la pordon.
She put the suitcase behind the door.
Key Takeaways
Use post for a later time or a following place in a sequence, with an unmarked complement. Use post kiam before a finite clause and poste when no complement follows. Distinguish post du horoj from duration with dum, and prefer malantaŭ for purely spatial “behind.”
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Start learning Esperanto →Related Topics
- AntaŭA2 — Use antaŭ for a position in front, an earlier place in a sequence, and a time before a reference point.
- DumA2 — Use dum before a time expression or clause to place one event within the duration of another.
- ĜisB1 — Use ĝis for an endpoint in space, time, quantity, or degree, and as a conjunction meaning until.
- MalantaŭB1 — Use malantaŭ for a position at the rear, movement into that position, and the people or forces operating behind something.
- Time ClausesA2 — Connect events in time with kiam, dum, ĝis, antaŭ ol, post kiam, de kiam, and related clause introducers.
- Time and Frequency ExpressionsB1 — Use Esperanto's productive frames for clock time, recurring events, duration, and temporal sequence without importing English prepositions.