-자마자 means "as soon as" or "the moment that" - immediate succession of two events.
Immediate sequence - Second action happens right after first
No delay - Emphasizes zero gap between events
Past or habitual - Works for both specific and repeated events
As soon as I got home, I fell asleep.
Verb stem + 자마자. Simple and consistent - no irregular forms.
Same subject usually - Both clauses typically share a subject
- 집에 오자마자 (내가) 잠들었어요
No tense marker before 자마자
- ❌ 왔자마자
- ✅ 오자마자
Cannot use with commands/suggestions in main clause
- ❌ 오자마자 청소하세요
- ✅ 오면 바로 청소하세요
As soon as I wake up, I drink coffee.
The moment the movie ended, they left.
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