Question 1

Since the current lesson is about the subjunctive, why doesn't après que take the subjunctive here?

Accepted Answer

This is a classic trap! Avant que (before) takes the subjunctive because the action hasn't happened yet, so it is still just a possibility. But après que (after) takes the indicative (normal tenses like the present or passé composé) because the action has already taken place and is a concrete fact. Even though you will sometimes hear native French speakers mistakenly use the subjunctive after après que, the grammatically correct choice is the indicative, as seen here with est parti.

Question 2

Why is the helping verb est instead of a in il est parti?

Accepted Answer

Partir (to leave) is one of the verbs of movement and change of state (often remembered by the acronym Dr. & Mrs. Vandertramp) that always use être as their auxiliary (helping) verb in compound tenses like the passé composé.

Question 3

Could I just say après il est parti without the que?

Accepted Answer

No, in French you must use après que when connecting to a full clause that contains a subject and a verb. You only use après on its own when it is followed by a noun, like après le dîner (after dinner).

Question 4

Both actions happened in the past. Could I use the plus-que-parfait (had left) for the first action?

Accepted Answer

Yes! You can absolutely say Après qu'il était parti, nous avons mangé (After he had left, we ate) to emphasize that his leaving happened further in the past, before the eating. However, in casual everyday French, it is very common and perfectly acceptable to just use the passé composé for both actions, as this sentence does.

Après qu'il est parti, nous avons mangé.

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