Le complice a été arrêté par la police après le cambriolage.

Questions & Answers about Le complice a été arrêté par la police après le cambriolage.

Since this lesson is about the past infinitive (après avoir/être), why don't we use it here?
The past infinitive is only used when "after" is followed by a verb action, like "after having burgled" (après avoir cambriolé). In this sentence, le cambriolage (the burglary) is a noun. When "after" is followed by a noun, you simply use après directly before it, just like in English.
Why does the sentence use a été arrêté instead of a arrêté?
This is the passive voice in the past tense (passé composé). If we used a arrê, it would mean the accomplice actively arrested someone else! To say he "was arrested," we take the helping verb être, put it in the past tense (a été), and add the past participle of the action (arrêté).
Does le complice mean the same thing as the English word "complicit"?
They share the same root, but le complice is usually a noun meaning "the accomplice" or "partner in crime." While it can occasionally act as an adjective for "complicit," you will mostly see it used as a noun, as it is here.
Why do we use par before la police?
In a passive sentence, the action is done "by" someone or something. For most physical actions, French uses par to introduce this doer. So, "arrested by the police" translates perfectly word-for-word as arrêté par la police.

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