После дождя я вытер воду с подоконника тряпкой.

After the rain, I wiped the water off the windowsill with a rag.

Breakdown of После дождя я вытер воду с подоконника тряпкой.

• я: I
• вода: the water
• дождь: the rain
• после: after

Questions & Answers about После дождя я вытер воду с подоконника тряпкой.

Why is дождя in the genitive case after после?

Because the preposition после always takes the genitive.

• после = after
• дождь = rain
• genitive singular: дождя

So:

• после дождя = after the rain / after it rained

This is a very common pattern in Russian:

• после урока = after the lesson
• после работы = after work
• после обеда = after lunch

What exactly does После дождя mean here?

It means after the rain or, more naturally in English, after it rained.

Russian often uses a noun phrase where English might prefer a full clause. So instead of saying something like After it had rained, I..., Russian can simply say:

• После дождя... = After the rain...

It sets the time frame for the main action.

Why is it я вытер, not я вытирал?