# Macedonian: по vs после



## cr00mz

Hello

I was wondering what the difference between these words are, I know that по has many meanings, but I was thinking about the "later/after" meaning of both words


----------



## iobyo

Strictly speaking, _после _('afterwards') is an adverb and _по _('after') is a preposition.


----------



## Gnoj

Also:
Ḱe se vidime posle = We'll see each other afterwards (lit.) = I'll see you later


----------



## iobyo

Gnoj said:


> Also:
> Ḱe se vidime posle = We'll see each other afterwards (lit.) = I'll see you later



But even in this case one can make a distinction between _после _('afterwards') and _подоцна _('later (on)').



_Ќе се видиме после _('We'll see each other afterwards'): at a specified succeeding time, e.g. after the concert.
_Ќе се видиме подоцна _('We'll see each other later (on)'): at an unspecified succeeding time, e.g. later in the evening.


----------



## Gnoj

You're right. I think cr00mz should also be told that "posle" is also used very often as a preposition instead of "po", like "posle filmot" instead of "po filmot" (after the film). It is "against the rules", but it is widely used by Macedonians.


----------



## iobyo

Gnoj said:


> You're right. I think cr00mz should also be told that "posle" is also used very often as a preposition instead of "po", like "posle filmot" instead of "po filmot" (after the film). It is "against the rules", but it is widely used by Macedonians.



Yes, but completely natural sounding.

There's also those very clumsy constructions like _по неколку минути после ќе си одиме _(lit. 'after a few minutes afterwards we'll leave'). This one is a definite no-no.

It might be worth mentioning another adverb, _потоа_ (usually 'thereafter'), which *can* also be translated as 'afterwards': _случајно го сретнав Гоце веднаш потоа _('I came across Goce immediately thereafter' ~ 'immediately afterwards'). This adverb implies a sequence (_потоа _< _по тоа _'after that').

I just thought of examples like _ќе си одам после тебе _('I will leave after you' ~ 'after you leave'), _повтори после мене _('repeat after me'), _после Вас _('after you' as in when entering through a doorway), etc. These sentences would have a different meaning with _по_. So maybe there's an exception when it (_по_[_сле_]) comes before a pronoun? Hmm...


----------



## cr00mz

The reason I asked was that I have always said posle, most people I know say posle. I read an article and saw the word po, which made me a bit confused.

по неколку минути ќе си одиме / после неколку минути ќе си одиме both would be acceptable? 

About потоа can it be used as in after that, like a direct translation from English to Macedonian. "We will go home to you, _*after that*_ (= потоа) we will go home to me"?

EDIT: What is the difference with pokasno, and podocna?


----------



## Gnoj

cr00mz said:


> About потоа can it be used as in after that, like a direct translation from English to Macedonian. "We will go home to you, _*after that*_ (= потоа) we will go home to me"?


Yes. If you replace "after that" with "then" in English, in this particular case it would still be "potoa" in Macedonian.



cr00mz said:


> What is the difference with pokasno, and podocna?


The only difference is that "podocna" is standard and "pokasno" is sub-standard. They both mean "later" (docna/kasno = late).


----------

