Breakdown of Ich esse erst nach der Arbeit.
essen
to eat
ich
I
die Arbeit
the work
nach
after
der
the; (feminine, dative)
erst
only
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Questions & Answers about Ich esse erst nach der Arbeit.
What does erst mean in this context? Is it “first” or “only after”?
In this sentence, erst means “not until” or “only after” (i.e. you won’t eat before you finish work). It does not mean the sequence “first” (that’s zuerst) nor “already” (that’s schon).
Why is nach followed by der Arbeit (dative case) here?
The preposition nach always takes the dative when indicating time or direction.
- die Arbeit (feminine singular nominative) → der Arbeit (feminine singular dative).
Can we move nach der Arbeit to the beginning of the sentence?
Yes. German allows fronting of time expressions:
- Nach der Arbeit esse ich erst.
This still means “I only eat after work,” but it shifts the emphasis onto “after work.”
Can I say Ich esse nach der Arbeit erst instead of Ich esse erst nach der Arbeit?
Both word orders are grammatically correct and carry the same core meaning. However, placing erst directly before nach der Arbeit (as in the original) more clearly ties the “only after” nuance to that time phrase, which is why it’s the more common choice.
Why don’t we use nachdem ich gearbeitet habe instead of nach der Arbeit?
- nach + noun (dative) is a concise way to express “after work.”
- nachdem introduces a subordinate clause, e.g. Ich esse, nachdem ich gearbeitet habe, which pushes the verb to the end and makes the sentence longer. Both are correct but differ in style and complexity.
Can I say nach meiner Arbeit instead of nach der Arbeit?
Yes—if you want to specify “after my work” (your particular job or shift). You then use the possessive adjective in dative:
- nach + dative fem. → nach meiner Arbeit.
Use nach der Arbeit when you mean “after work” in general.