Russian Vocabulary (and Wisdom)

How to say "then" in Russian

This Russian word is one of the top 1000 words in Russian. The complete list of most common Russian words is available here.

потом

Meaning: then, afterwards, later on

Pronunciation: [puh-TOHM]

Part of speech: adverb

Rank: #85 (see frequency list)

The bride and the groom were coming first, and then the guests.
Photo by Ethan Prater CC-BY-2.0

Example sentences:

Cначáла онá учи́лась, потóм пошлá рабóтать.
She was studying first and then started working.
literal First she was studying, then went to work.
А что вы дéлали потóм?
And what did you do later on?
Иди́те пря́мо, потóм поверни́те напрáво.
Go straight, then turn to the right.
Потóм э́то обсу́дим: сейчác нéкогда.
We'll discuss it later, there's no time now.
Cначáла шли жени́х и невécта, потóм гócти.
The bride and the groom were coming first, and then the guests.
literal The bride and the groom were coming first, then the guests.
Вот э́то институ́т, а потóм наш дом.
It's a university, and then comes our house.
literal It's a university here, and then our house.
Ну́жно дéлать задáние сейчác: потóм прócто врéмени не бу́дет.
You have to do the work now, you simply won't have time later on.
Я не хочу́ ничегó покупáть, и потóм у меня́ кóнчились дéньги.
I don't want to buy anything, and besides I don't have any money left.
Ну, а что бы́ло потóм?
So, what happened next?
literal So, what was next?
Нельзя́ отклáдывать всë на потóм.
You can't leave everything until later.
wwwwwww

Idioms and set expressions:

отклáдывать на потóм = leave until later
остáвить на потóм = leave until later

Related words:

затéм = then, after that
пóзже = later
потóмок = descendant
потóмство = descendants

Proverbs and sayings:

А потóм - суп с котóм.
What comes later? Stewed alligator.
literal And then comes a cat soup.
Спервá аз да бу́ки, а потóм нау́ки.
When learning, start with the simpliest and you'll come to the complicated.
literal First "A" and "B", and later, sciences.

Vocabulary lesson: By Russificate blog exclusively for MasterRussian

Phrase recordings: Copyright(c) 2011 MasterRussian.com. All rights reserved.
Word recordings: Copyright(c) 2006 Streit Goulnara, Streit Eric, Vion Nicolas. Copyright(c) 2007 S. Sakhno, N. Vion. Distributed under CC-BY.

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