てから vs たら

Japanese
#1

Hello fellow grammar enjoyers,
yesterday I was cramming through my troubled grammar, and it was mostly filled of synonyms which I couldn’t (and still can’t) grasp.

in this topic I wanted to discuss about the difference between ってから vs ったら

first thing first I asked chatgpt to explain to me the difference between the two grammar points, and voila :

終わったら (owattara)

終わったら is the conditional form of 終わる (owaru), which means “to finish” or “to end.” It is used to indicate that one action will occur after another action has finished. This expression emphasizes the condition of the previous action’s completion.

Examples:

  • 宿題が終わったら遊びに行こう。 - “Let’s go play after finishing the homework.”
  • 映画が終わったら電話してね。 - “Call me after the movie ends.”

終わってから (owattekara)

終わってから is the てから (te kara) form of 終わる (owaru). It is used to indicate that one action occurs after another action has finished, with an emphasis on the sequence of events. This expression highlights that the next action happens immediately after the previous action ends.

Examples:

  • 宿題が終わってから遊びに行こう。 - “Let’s go play after finishing the homework.”
  • 映画が終わってから電話してね。 - “Call me after the movie ends.”

Key Differences:

  1. 終わったら (owattara) emphasizes the condition of the previous action’s completion, while 終わってから (owattekara) emphasizes the sequence of events.
  2. 終わったら (owattara) is often used to express a condition or hypothesis, whereas 終わってから (owattekara) is used to indicate an action that follows immediately after the previous action.

As you can see, it’s using the same examples with the exact same translation for both grammar points, which really doesn’t help…

I’m still convinces that these grammar can’t be swappable.

for me ったら = if and when, then…
and ってから = when a ‘non repeatable’ action is done then …

I can’t think of a solid example that can clarify the discrepancies between the two grammar points…

any help ?

#2

ったら as you said is more of a “if/when”, not exactly one or the other, but an in-between. たら refers to something that can or may happen in the future, and has the nuance of being a hypothetical. Not as much as ば, but it functions in a similar sense.

ってから is a “After (A), (B).” It’s a certainty, and implies that you will go “from” doing (A) to (B) (thanks to the nuance of から).

The difference really is just whether or not it’s a hypothetical or not. “たら” will be used in cases where the (A) in question is or isn’t certain, and “てから” will be used when (B) is a planned action that will happen after the completion of (A).

That’s at least how I see it. Let me know if any of this makes sense.

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#3

Great explanation, thank you for explaining in detail the nuances, I’ll try tro cram these points until I can flawlessly use the correct form.
Thank you !

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