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I know that later can be replaced by after s + v like the following.

  1. I wake up at 10 but I get up about an hour after I wake up.

  2. I wake up at 10 but I get up about an hour later.

Then, how about this?

  1. Since 3 weeks ago, I have been dating her.

  2. Since 3 weeks before now, I have been dating her.

I just want to know more expression that is the same meaning as "ago", so that I can use more sentences.

Or better,

  1. I met a girl 3 weeks ago.

  2. I met a girl 3 weeks before now.

Are these possible?

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    They're all possible, but #1, #3 and #5 are more colloquial. #2, #4 and #6 just use too many words. In #2, it's already established when he woke up, so saying "after I wake up" is redundant. For # 4 and #6; we almost always say it the shorter way, with "ago" (#3 and #5).
    – Brian Hitchcock
    Aug 5, 2015 at 5:52
  • Actually, #2 is more colloquial (I think @BrianHitchcock meant to say 2 instead of 1 in his comment). It's shorter, so English speakers will tend to say that more than the lengthier sentence.
    – keitereth24
    May 31, 2016 at 22:12

1 Answer 1

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  1. Since 3 weeks ago, I have been dating her.

  2. Since 3 weeks before now, I have been dating her.

For a time period, it is better to use for

I have been dating her for 3 weeks.

Since is usually used when you refer to a date

I have been dating her since May

For your other sentences, number (2) and (5) are preferred as they use later and ago. When you can say something using a short adverb, it's redundant to repeat your words (after I wake up is redundant)

For (5) you may also say:

It's 3 weeks from when I first met her.

It's 3 weeks since I first met her.

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