après + Past Infinitive
After Doing Something with Apres + Past Infinitive
The construction après + infinitif passé is the standard way to express that one action was completed before another began. It translates to 'after doing' or 'after having done' in English.
How It Works
To form this structure, follow these steps:
- Step 1: Use the preposition après.
- Step 2: Add the past infinitive, which consists of the infinitive form of the auxiliary verb (avoir or être) followed by the past participle of the main verb.
- Step 3: If using a reflexive verb, place the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, etc.) immediately before the auxiliary infinitive.
Choosing the Auxiliary:
The choice between avoir and être follows the same rules as the passé composé. Use être for reflexive verbs and specific verbs of motion or change of state.
Agreement Rules:
When using être with verbs of motion, the past participle must agree with the subject. For reflexive verbs, agreement depends on whether the reflexive pronoun is a direct object. When using avoir, agreement only occurs with a preceding direct object.
Usage Note:
This construction is used when the subject of both actions is the same. If the subjects are different, use a clause with après que.
Examples (4)
- Après avoir fini mes devoirs, je regarderai la télé.
After finishing my homework, I will watch TV.
Word by Word: After to have finished my homework, I will watch the TV.
Since 'finir' takes 'avoir', we use 'avoir fini'. The subject (I) is the same for both actions.
- Après être rentrée, Marie a préparé le dîner.
After returning home, Marie prepared dinner.
Word by Word: After to be returned, Marie has prepared the dinner.
The verb 'rentrer' takes 'être'. Note the extra 'e' on 'rentrée' to agree with Marie.
- Après s'être douché, il s'est habillé.
After showering, he got dressed.
Word by Word: After himself to be showered, he himself is dressed.
Reflexive verbs always use 'être' in the past infinitive. The reflexive pronoun 'se' (s') comes before the auxiliary.
- Après avoir mangé, nous sommes partis.
After eating, we left.
Word by Word: After to have eaten, we are left.
Even though the main verb 'partir' uses 'être', the infinitive clause uses 'avoir' because 'manger' takes 'avoir'.
Common Mistakes
Using the present infinitive instead of the past infinitive.
Après manger, je vais sortir.Après avoir mangé, je vais sortir.In standard French, 'après' is followed by a past infinitive to show the action is finished. 'Après manger' is heard in speech, but careful writing uses 'après avoir mangé'.
Using the infinitive when the subjects are different.
Après avoir mangé, le film a commencé.Après qu'il a mangé, le film a commencé.The infinitive construction implies the film was the one eating. If the subjects are different (he vs. the film), you must use 'après que' followed by a conjugated verb.
Incorrect negation placement.
Après n'avoir pas mangé...Après ne pas avoir mangé...In the past infinitive, 'ne pas' usually stays together before the auxiliary verb.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use 'après + infinitif passé', you must first understand how compound tenses are formed in French. This includes knowing how to choose between 'avoir' and 'être' as auxiliaries and how to form the past participle. Since the past infinitive uses the infinitive form of these auxiliaries (avoir/être) followed by the past participle, these are the essential building blocks for this structure.
- être + Past ParticipleCompound Past with Etre
Learners must know which verbs require 'être' as an auxiliary to correctly form the past infinitive for those verbs (e.g., 'après être allé').
Level 2 - Verbs linked directly to an infinitive
Understanding how infinitives function as verbal complements is necessary to grasp how 'après' acts as a preposition followed by a verbal noun phrase.
Level 2
Related Patterns
- avant de + InfinitiveBefore Doing Something with Avant De
This is the opposite construction ('before doing'). Note that 'avant' requires 'de' and uses the present infinitive, while 'après' does not use 'de' and requires the past infinitive.
Level 3 - Agreement in etre-conjugated past tenses
When 'être' is the auxiliary in the past infinitive, the participle must agree with the subject, just like in other compound tenses.
Level 2 - Gerund with en + present participle
The gérondif (en + present participle) is another way to link two actions, but it usually expresses simultaneity ('while doing') rather than sequence ('after doing').
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice après + Past Infinitive in Bubblegum
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