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-자마자

-jamaja

Not a sliver of gap: -자마자

The picture The door clicks shut and the next thing springs out on that same click. No gap between the two. -자마자 pins the second event to the exact point the first one ends, while -(으)ㄴ 후에 accepts anywhere after it — 졸업하자마자 취직했어요 leaves no gap, but 졸업한 후에 취직했어요 is still true if it took months.

Endings and forms

Where the picture shows up in -자마자

  1. on the click of the door

    집에 오자마자 씻었어요.

    ji-be o-ja-ma-ja ssi-seo-sseo-yo

    The moment I got home, I took a shower.

    The front door clicks shut, the bag hits the floor, and you are already walking into the bathroom.

  2. pouring in with no gap

    문이 열리자마자 사람들이 몰려들었어요.

    mu-ni yeol-li-ja-ma-ja sa-ram-deu-ri mol-lyeo-deu-reo-sseo-yo

    The instant the doors opened, people flooded in.

    The instant the doors part, a wall of shoulders pushes through all at once.

  3. out the door on answering

    전화를 받자마자 뛰어나갔어요.

    jeon-hwa-reul bat-ja-ma-ja ttwi-eo-na-ga-sseo-yo

    I took the call and ran straight out.

    The receiver is not even off your ear before the chair slides back and your body turns for the door.

  4. where one chapter ends

    졸업하자마자 취직했어요.

    jo-reo-pa-ja-ma-ja chwi-ji-kae-sseo-yo

    I got a job right after graduating.

    The same hand that takes off the graduation gown hangs an employee badge around the neck.

  5. lights out on lying down

    눕자마자 잠들었어요.

    nup-ja-ma-ja jam-deu-reo-sseo-yo

    I fell asleep the moment I lay down.

    The eyes close at the exact moment the head touches the pillow.

    Never put a past-tense marker before -자마자. 오자마자 is right; 왔자마자 is wrong.

All of it in one picture

-자마자 pins the second event onto the sound of the first one ending. The front door clicks and the bathroom door opens; the doors part and people pour in; the call is answered and the body is already out of the chair. Let the hand that takes off a graduation gown hang up a badge and one chapter locks into the next; let the eyes close on the sound of head meeting pillow and there is no gap at all. So between two events joined by -자마자 there is no room to slip in even a 'in a moment'.

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