Learn Hardcore Japanese: bangohan no ato de, sara wo araimasu.

あとで: very standard, slightly clearer that this is the time frame when the action happens.
あと (without で): also fine, especially in conversation; sometimes feels just a bit shorter/casual.

This で is not the “location” で (as in “at the park”). Here it’s part of the time expression あとで.

There is no word for “I” in the Japanese sentence. How do we know it means “I wash the dishes”? How do I say “I” explicitly?

Japanese often drops the subject if it’s obvious from context. If you’re talking about what you do after dinner, listeners naturally understand it as “I” without you saying it.

So:

晩ご飯のあとで、皿を洗います。
Context: you’re talking about your routine → understood as “I wash the dishes.”

If you want to say “I” explicitly:

私は晩ご飯のあとで、皿を洗います。
(私 is a common, neutral “I.”)

Other options (depending on gender/personality/formality):

僕は晩ご飯のあとで、皿を洗います。 (common for males, casual–polite)
俺は晩ご飯のあとで、皿を洗う。 (male, casual)

In normal conversation, Japanese speakers only add 私は / 僕は if they need to emphasize “I (not someone else)” or if it’s not already clear who the subject is.

What tense is 洗います? Does it mean “I wash,” “I am washing,” or “I will wash”?

The form 洗います is the polite non-past form. In Japanese, this one form covers:

habitual / general present:
- “I (usually) wash the dishes.”
future:
- “I will wash the dishes.”
sometimes a kind of scheduled action:
- “I’m going to wash the dishes (as part of what happens after dinner).”

In 晩ご飯のあとで、皿を洗います, English might translate it as:

“I wash the dishes after dinner.” (habitual)
or “After dinner, I’ll wash the dishes.” (future)

Context decides which sounds more natural in English.

If you want to say “I am washing (right now)”, you usually use the progressive:

皿を洗っています。 – I am washing the dishes (right now).

Can I say お皿 instead of 皿? What is the difference?

Yes, you can say:

晩ご飯のあとで、お皿を洗います。

お皿 and 皿 both mean “dish / plate,” but:

お皿: with the polite prefix お, sounds softer / more polite, a bit more “nice/pretty.”
皿: plain, neutral word; not rude, just less “decorated.”

In daily speech, people very often say お皿 when talking about dishes, especially in polite or normal conversation.

Rough guideline:

Talking about dishes at home, normally → お皿 is very common.
In a dictionary, or when you’re being very neutral → you’ll see 皿.

So in this sentence, お皿を洗います would probably sound more natural in many real-life situations.

Can I change the word order, like 晩ご飯のあとで皿を洗います or 皿を晩ご飯のあとで洗います? Are they all correct?

Yes, Japanese word order is relatively flexible as long as the verb comes at the end and particles stay with the words they mark.

These are all grammatical:

晩ご飯のあとで、皿を洗います。
- Time first, then object. Very natural.
晩ご飯のあとで皿を洗います。
- Same as 1, just without a comma. Also natural.
皿を晩ご飯のあとで洗います。
- Object first, then time phrase. Still correct.

Nuance:

Putting 晩ご飯のあとで at the beginning (1 & 2) slightly emphasizes the time: “As for after dinner, I wash the dishes.”
Putting 皿を first (3) slightly emphasizes the object: “As for the dishes, (I wash them) after dinner.”

In everyday speech, pattern 1/2 (time first, verb last) is very typical.

What exactly is the pattern NのあとでV? Could I also say 晩ご飯を食べたあとで皿を洗います? What’s the difference?

Nのあとで + Verb is a general pattern:

NOUN + のあとで + VERB
→ “do VERB after NOUN”

So:

晩ご飯のあとで、皿を洗います。
“I wash the dishes after dinner.”

You can also use a verb before あとで using the past tense (～た) form:

VERBた + あとで + VERB
→ “after doing VERB, (do something)”

Example:

晩ご飯を食べたあとで、皿を洗います。
“After eating dinner, I wash the dishes.”

Difference:

晩ご飯のあとで – “after dinner” (treating dinner as an event or time period, expressed as a noun)
晩ご飯を食べたあとで – “after (I) have eaten dinner” (explicitly focuses on the action of eating)

Meaning is very similar here; the second is just more explicit about the action.

What’s the difference between 晩ご飯, 夕飯, 夕ご飯, and 夕食? Which should I use?

All of these can mean “dinner / evening meal.” Differences are mainly in formality and feeling:

晩ご飯（ばんごはん）
- Very common, everyday, friendly.
- Safe choice in casual and normal polite conversation.
夕飯（ゆうはん） / 夕ご飯（ゆうごはん）
- Also everyday words for dinner.
- Choice often depends on region/family habit.
- Some families say 夕飯, some 晩ご飯.
夕食（ゆうしょく）
- More formal / written or used in announcements, hotels, menus, etc.
- E.g. “夕食は6時からです” – “Dinner is from 6 p.m.”

In your sentence, 晩ご飯のあとで、皿を洗います。 sounds perfectly natural and is a very typical choice.

How would I say “After dinner, let’s wash the dishes” or “After dinner, please wash the dishes”?

You change the ending of 洗います:

“Let’s wash the dishes (together).”
Use ～ましょう (invitation / “let’s”):
- 晩ご飯のあとで、皿を洗いましょう。
  “After dinner, let’s wash the dishes.”
“Please wash the dishes (after dinner).”
Use ～てください (polite request):
- 晩ご飯のあとで、皿を洗ってください。
  “After dinner, please wash the dishes.”

The beginning 晩ご飯のあとで stays the same; only the verb ending changes to express suggestion (ましょう) or request (てください).

Can I use あとに instead of あとで? What’s the difference between あとで, あとに, and just あと?

All three can appear in time expressions, but they’re used a bit differently.

あとで
- Most common in everyday speech for “after / later”:
  - 晩ご飯のあとで、皿を洗います。
- Very natural, default choice here.
あとに
- Also possible: 晩ご飯のあとに、皿を洗います。
- Slightly more formal or written; can sound like you’re pointing to a specific point in time rather than a general time frame.
- In many everyday cases, あとで and あとに are almost interchangeable, with only a small nuance difference.
あと (alone)
- You might see it with particles like は:
  - 晩ご飯のあとは、皿を洗います。
    “As for after dinner, I wash the dishes.”
- Or as a standalone noun:
  - あとは？ – “And after that?” / “What about the rest?”

For your sentence, あとで is the most natural, neutral choice:

晩ご飯のあとで、皿を洗います。 ✅ (best default)