Efteråt

Efteråt is a Swedish adverb meaning "afterward" or "later." It is used to indicate that something occurs following a previously mentioned event or time, signaling a sequence in narration or everyday speech. In practice, efteråt often follows a description of what happened first, as in: "Vi pratade en stund; efteråt gick vi hem." It can also refer to a later part of a sequence, such as events that occur after a main act or discussion.

Grammatically, efteråt functions as an adverb and does not modify a noun. It is commonly placed after the clause it relates to, helping to connect actions across time without introducing a new subject. Its use is widespread in both spoken Swedish and formal writing, though it tends to appear in more narrative or conversational contexts than in highly technical texts.

Etymologically, the word is built from the preposition efter ("after") and forms a temporal adverb used to express subsequent time. It is related in meaning to other temporal connectors such as därefter ("thereafter") and senare ("later"), which can be used as alternatives depending on nuance and formality.

See also: därefter, senare, efter, tidsmarkörer.

Overall, efteråt is a common, neutral term for marking a subsequent moment in time within Swedish discourse, suitable for everyday use and standard prose.