Japanese Learning (A2 S16): Action happens After Preceding Action has taken place; V1-te kara, V2

Recently I wrote that a well-written textbook introduces the construction expressing “Sequence of actions” with the following construction that uses three verbs;

1. [V1-te], [V2-te], [V3].

This is because sometimes the following construction makes it unclear as to whether the sentence is “Sequence of actions” or “Incidental actions”

2. [Verb clause1]+te, [Verb clause2]. = [V1-te], [V2].

Then, how do you express if you want to say that you do action number one and then you do action number two, with two clauses like 2.? You use the Te-form of a verb for action number one, but not only with “te”, you would add “kara” after “te”. Look at the examples;

3. Te o Aratte kara, Gohan o Tabemasu. (I wash my hands, and then I eat meal.)

— 3. is in present tense that expresses what you usually do as habit.

4. Jugyou ga Owatte kara, Kaimono ni Ikimashita. (After the class ended, I went shopping.)

— 4. is in past tense.

Note that there is difference between 3 and 4 other than the tense.

– The subject of two verbs (Aratte and Tabemasu) is identical for the sentence 3. It’s “Watashi (I)”.

– In the sentence 4, the subject of the verb “Owatte” is Jugyou, while the subject of the verb “Ikimashita” is “Watashi (I)”.

For the construction of today;

5. [Verb clause1]+te kara, [Verb clause2]. = [V1-te]+kara, [V2].

It is okay to use different subjects for the first verb clause and for the second verb clause.

This post was written with reference to the exercise A2 on Section 16 of “Minna no Nihongo (2^nd Edition)” published by “3A Corporation”