Después de que termine la película, vamos a dormir.

After the movie ends, we are going to sleep.

Breakdown of Después de que termine la película, vamos a dormir.

• nosotros: we
• dormir: to sleep
• a: to
• ir: to go
• terminar: to end
• la película: the movie
• después de que: after

Questions & Answers about Después de que termine la película, vamos a dormir.

Why is it termine and not termina or terminará?

Termine is the present subjunctive of terminar.

In Spanish, when you talk about a future action that has not yet happened, and you use time expressions like:

• después de que (after)
• cuando (when)
• hasta que (until)

you normally use the subjunctive in that clause.

So:

• Después de que termine la película, vamos a dormir.
  = After the movie ends (in the future, not yet), we’re going to sleep.

If you used termina, it would sound like you’re talking about a habitual or general situation (every time the movie ends, we go to sleep), not a one-time future plan.

Why do we say después de que and not just después de or después que?

There are two different structures:

1. después de + noun / infinitive

   • Después de la película, vamos a dormir. (After the movie…)
   • Después de terminar la película, vamos a dormir. (After finishing the movie…)

2. después de que + conjugated verb

   • Después de que termine la película, vamos a dormir.

When a full clause with a verb follows, the standard / most recommended form is:

después de que + [verb]

In some Latin American varieties people do say después que + [verb] (dropping de), and it’s widely understood and used in speech, but después de que is the more neutral and “correct” choice in formal writing and teaching.

What exactly is the subject of termine in después de que termine la película?

The subject is la película (the movie).

Spanish allows the verb to come before the subject, especially in subordinate clauses:

• Después de que termine la película…
  (verb first, then subject)

You could also say:

• Después de que la película termine, vamos a dormir.

Both are correct. The meaning is the same: the movie ends.

Could I say Después de que termina la película, vamos a dormir instead?

Grammatically it’s possible, but the nuance changes:

• Después de que termine la película…
  → Subjunctive: a specific future action, not done yet.
• Después de que termina la película…
  → Indicative: sounds more like a habit or something that always happens (“After the movie ends, we (always) go to sleep.”).

For a one-time plan in the future, termine (subjunctive) is the natural choice.

Why is it vamos a dormir and not simply dormiremos?

Spanish has two main ways to talk about the future:

1. Ir a + infinitive:

   • Vamos a dormir. = We’re going to sleep.
     This is very common in spoken Latin American Spanish for plans and near future.

2. Simple future:

   • Dormiremos. = We will sleep.
     This sounds a bit more formal, and in many regions is used less often in casual speech for everyday plans.

Meaning-wise here, they’re almost the same, but vamos a dormir is more natural sounding in everyday Latin American Spanish.

Is vamos a dormir about the immediate future or just any future time?

Vamos a + infinitive usually suggests a planned or relatively near future, often with a sense of intention:

• Después de que termine la película, vamos a dormir.
  → As soon as the movie ends (today/tonight), we’re going to bed.

For a distant or less specific future, the simple future (dormiremos) or other phrasing might be used, but in practice, vamos a + infinitive is extremely common for most future plans.

Can I move the clause and say Vamos a dormir después de que termine la película?

Yes. Word order is flexible here:

• Después de que termine la película, vamos a dormir.
• Vamos a dormir después de que termine la película.

Both are correct and mean the same.

When the time clause comes first, Spanish usually uses a comma:

• Después de que termine la película, vamos a dormir.

When it comes second, the comma is often omitted:

• Vamos a dormir después de que termine la película.

Can I say Después de terminar la película, vamos a dormir? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say that. The structure changes:

• Después de que termine la película…
  → Subordinate clause with a conjugated verb (subjunctive).
  Focus: the movie (as subject) ends.

• Después de terminar la película…
  → Después de + infinitive (non‑finite verb).
  Literally: After finishing the movie…

Two nuances:

1. With terminar la película, it can sound more like “after we finish watching the movie” (focus on the activity).
2. With después de que termine la película, it’s more neutral: “after the movie ends.”

Both are natural; context decides which is better.

Could I use cuando instead of después de que?

You can, but the meaning shifts slightly:

• Cuando termine la película, vamos a dormir.
  → “When the movie ends, we’re going to sleep.”
  Focus: the moment the movie ends.

• Después de que termine la película, vamos a dormir.
  → “After the movie ends, we’re going to sleep.”
  Focus: after that event, possibly with a tiny delay implied.

In many real situations they’re almost interchangeable, but después de que emphasizes “afterwards,” while cuando emphasizes “at the time when.”

Why does película have an accent?

Película is stressed on the third‑to‑last syllable: pe‑LÍ‑cu‑la.

Any word stressed on the third‑to‑last syllable (esdrújula) must always have a written accent in Spanish.

So we write película, not pelicula.

Could I drop the article and say Después de que termine película?

No. In this sentence you need the article:

• la película = the movie (a specific movie)

Spanish normally uses an article with countable singular nouns when they are specific:

• Vi la película. = I saw the movie.
• Después de que termine la película… = After the movie ends…

Saying termine película without la sounds incorrect here.

What’s the difference between vamos a dormir and nos vamos a dormir?

Both can be used, but the nuance is slightly different:

• Vamos a dormir.
  Literally: “We’re going to sleep.”
  Neutral: focuses on the action of sleeping.

• Nos vamos a dormir. (from irse a dormir)
  Literally: “We’re going off to sleep.”
  Often used like English “We’re going to bed” (more colloquial/idiomatic).

In many everyday contexts, people use them almost interchangeably to mean “We’re going to bed.” In Latin America, nos vamos a dormir can sound a bit more like “We’re heading off to bed now.”

Why is the verb termine in the present subjunctive if it refers to the future?

Spanish doesn’t have a commonly used future subjunctive in modern speech, so it uses the present subjunctive to talk about future events in certain subordinate clauses, especially with time conjunctions:

• Cuando llegue Juan… (when Juan arrives)
• Hasta que encontremos la solución… (until we find the solution)
• Después de que termine la película… (after the movie ends)

So, even though it’s present subjunctive in form, it very often has a future-time meaning in these structures.