wǎnshang xiàbān yǐhòu wǒ chángcháng zài gōngyuán sànbù.

In the evening after work, I often take a walk in the park.

Breakdown of wǎnshang xiàbān yǐhòu wǒ chángcháng zài gōngyuán sànbù.

• 我wǒ: I
• 在zài: at
• 常常chángcháng: often
• 以后yǐhòu: after

Questions & Answers about wǎnshang xiàbān yǐhòu wǒ chángcháng zài gōngyuán sànbù.

Why is 晚上 placed at the beginning of the sentence?

In Chinese, time expressions often come before the subject or right after the subject.

So 晚上 下班以后 我 常常 在 公园 散步 feels very natural because Chinese often builds a sentence in this order:

time + subject + adverb + place + verb

Here, 晚上 sets the time frame first: in the evening / at night.

You could also say:

我晚上下班以后常常在公园散步。

That is also natural. Chinese is flexible here, but putting time early is very common.

How does 下班以后 work? Does it mean after work or after getting off work?

下班 means to get off work / finish work.
以后 means after.

So 下班以后 literally means after getting off work.

In natural English, this is often just translated as after work.

A useful pattern is:

verb/action + 以后 = after doing ...

For example:

• 吃饭以后 = after eating
• 回家以后 = after going home
• 下班以后 = after getting off work

Can 以后 be replaced with 后 here?