Learn French: Après s'être rendu au commissariat, le complice a tout avoué. - After surrendering at the police station, the accomplice confessed everything.

Après s'être rendu au commissariat, le complice a tout avoué.

After surrendering at the police station, the accomplice confessed everything.

Breakdown of Après s'être rendu au commissariat, le complice a tout avoué.

to the / at the (masculine singular)

tout

all, everything

Questions & Answers about Après s'être rendu au commissariat, le complice a tout avoué.

Why is it s'être rendu instead of avoir rendu after après?

Because the verb here is the reflexive verb se rendre (meaning to surrender or to go). Just like in the passé composé, all reflexive verbs use être as their helper verb. To form the past infinitive, you use the infinitive of être followed by the past participle rendu.

Where does the reflexive pronoun go in a past infinitive construction?

The reflexive pronoun (in this case, se) goes right before the infinitive helper verb. Because the helper is être, which starts with a vowel, se drops its 'e' and becomes s', giving us s'être rendu.

Does the past participle rendu need to agree with the subject here?

Yes! Because reflexive verbs use être, the past participle generally needs to agree with the subject in gender and number. Since le complice is masculine singular, rendu stays in its base form. If the accomplice were female, it would be après s'être rendue.

Why is tout placed in the middle of a avoué?