Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Después de la carrera estoy cansado pero contento.

después solo (adverb):
- Corro ahora y descanso después. = I run now and rest afterwards.
después de + noun/infinitive (prepositional phrase):
- Después de la carrera descanso. = After the race I rest.
- Después de correr descanso. = After running I rest.

Why is it de la carrera and not del carrera?

Del is the contraction of de + el (masculine singular article):

de + el → del (e.g. del coche, of the car)

But carrera is feminine, so it takes la, not el:

de + la carrera → de la carrera (no contraction)

You only use del before masculine singular nouns: del perro, del libro, etc. Never before feminine words like la carrera, la casa, la mesa.

Why is the verb estoy (present tense) and not estuve (I was) if the race is already over?

Spanish often uses the present tense to talk about your current state, even if that state is caused by something that just finished.

Después de la carrera estoy cansado.
Focus: Right now (after the race), I am tired.

If you say:

Después de la carrera estuve cansado.
This sounds more like a completed past situation, often in a more distant or narrative sense: After the race, I was tired (for a while, then that finished).

In everyday conversation, if you’ve just finished the race and are describing how you feel now, estoy is the natural choice.

Why is it estoy cansado and not soy cansado?

Estar is used for temporary states or conditions, while ser is for inherent, defining characteristics.

estoy cansado = I am (feeling) tired now
soy cansado would mean something like “I am a tiring person / I tend to be a person who gets tired easily,” and is very unusual in normal speech.

Physical states like cansado, enfermo, contento, triste almost always go with estar:

Estoy cansado.
Estoy enfermo.
Estoy contento.

Why is it cansado and contento (masculine)? What would a woman say?

Adjectives in Spanish must agree in gender and number with the subject.

A man would say:
- Después de la carrera estoy cansado pero contento.
A woman would say:
- Después de la carrera estoy cansada pero contenta.

So you choose:

-o ending for masculine: cansado, contento
-a ending for feminine: cansada, contenta

Could I say estoy cansado y contento instead of pero contento? What’s the difference?

Yes, both are grammatically correct, but the nuance changes:

…estoy cansado y contento.
→ Just adds two states: I’m tired and (also) happy.
…estoy cansado pero contento.
→ Shows contrast: I’m tired, but (despite that) I’m happy.

With pero, you highlight that being contento is somewhat surprising given that you’re cansado.

Does carrera mean the same as “career” in English?

No, carrera is a common false friend.

Main meanings of carrera:

Race / run
- Después de la carrera estoy cansado… = After the race I’m tired…
University degree / course of study (especially in Spain)
- Hice la carrera de Medicina. = I did a degree in Medicine.
(Professional) career in some contexts, but often you’d use other words like trayectoria profesional to be clearer.

In this sentence, carrera most naturally means a race (running, cycling, etc.), not “career.”

Can I use luego instead of después de? For example, Luego de la carrera… or Luego de correr…?

Options:

Después de la carrera… → Very standard and neutral.
Luego de la carrera… → More common in many parts of Latin America than in Spain; perfectly correct, but in Spain people more often say después de.
Luego, estoy cansado… (Then I’m tired…) → Here luego is an adverb like then/afterwards, not followed by de.

For European Spanish (Spain), después de la carrera is the most typical and safest choice.

Why isn’t the subject yo written? Why not Yo después de la carrera estoy cansado…?

Spanish is a “null subject” language: subject pronouns (yo, tú, etc.) are usually omitted because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

Estoy cansado. → The -oy ending already tells you it’s yo.
Adding yo makes it emphatic:
- Yo, después de la carrera, estoy cansado. (I, for my part, am tired…)

So the natural, unmarked sentence is:

Después de la carrera estoy cansado pero contento.

Why does después have an accent?

Después is written with an accent on é because of Spanish stress rules:

It ends in -s, so normally the stress would fall on the second-to-last syllable: des‑PUES would be fine without accent only if that was correct by default.
But después is stressed on the last syllable: des‑PUÉS.
To mark this irregular stress, you must add a written accent: después.

So the accent shows where the stress goes: des‑PUÉS.

Could I say Después de la carrera estoy cansado, pero estoy contento? Is repeating estoy okay?

Yes, it’s grammatically correct:

Después de la carrera estoy cansado, pero estoy contento.

However, in Spanish it’s very natural to avoid repeating the same verb when both adjectives share it:

More natural: …estoy cansado pero contento.

You usually only repeat estoy for emphasis or contrast (for example, if you change the subject, or want to put strong emphasis on each part). In this simple sentence, repetition is unnecessary.

What’s the difference between contento, feliz, and alegre?

All three relate to positive emotions, but they’re used a bit differently:

contento
- Very common in Spain for glad / pleased / happy (about something specific).
- Estoy cansado pero contento. = I’m tired but pleased/happy (maybe because I did well).
feliz
- Stronger, more general or deeper happiness.
- Soy muy feliz con mi vida. = I’m very happy with my life.
alegre
- Can mean cheerful (character) or in a good mood, lively (temporary state).
- Hoy estoy muy alegre. = Today I’m very cheerful.

In your sentence, contento fits perfectly: you’re tired from the race, but you feel good or satisfied about it.