きのう学校から帰るとき、ひろ子に会った。 I met Hiroko as I was leaving
school yesterday.
きのう学校から帰ったとき、ひろ子に会った。 I met Hiroko after I got home from school yesterday.
When you use the present tense in the subordinate clause, you mean the action described by the verb of the subordinate sentence has not yet finished. 学校から帰るとき means that you have not finish the action of 帰る. In other words you are/were still at school or on your way home. On the contrary, by using the past tense, you mean the action has already finished. 学校から帰ったとき means that you have finished the action of 帰る. In other words you are/were home.
きのう学校から帰ったとき、ひろ子に会った。 I met Hiroko after I got home from school yesterday.
When you use the present tense in the subordinate clause, you mean the action described by the verb of the subordinate sentence has not yet finished. 学校から帰るとき means that you have not finish the action of 帰る. In other words you are/were still at school or on your way home. On the contrary, by using the past tense, you mean the action has already finished. 学校から帰ったとき means that you have finished the action of 帰る. In other words you are/were home.
走る前に準備体操をしなさい。 Warm-up before you run.
走った後に水を飲みなさい。 Drink water after you have finished running.
走る前に準備体操をした。 I did warm-up exercises before I started running.
走った後に水を飲んだ。 I drank water after I finished running.
Japanese Version
http://meadowlake001.blogspot.jp/2015/02/tense-in-subordinate-clause-japanese.html
Tips on Japanese (Web site)
http://www7b.biglobe.ne.jp/~meadowlake/
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