Dopo

Dopo is an Italian word that primarily functions as a preposition meaning "after" or "later." It can also be used as an adverb or as part of certain conjunctions to introduce subordinate clauses. Etymology: it derives from Latin post- meaning "after" and has evolved into the modern Italian preposition.

Usage: As a preposition, dopo governs a noun or pronoun to indicate temporal sequence: "dopo la riunione" (after the meeting), "dopo pranzo" (after lunch), "dopo di me" (after me). It can express both points in time and order of events. It can also appear in phrases referring to points in the future: "dopo un po'" (after a while). As an adverb, dopo can stand alone to mean "later" or "afterward": "tornerò dopo" (I'll come back later). In combination with che, it forms a conjunction meaning "after" and introducing a dependent clause: "Dopo che arriva, cominciamo" (After he arrives, we’ll begin). There is also the more formal phrase "dopo di che," used to connect sentences: "Si fece avanti; dopo di che..."