بعد أن خرجت الضيفة، ساعدتني أمي ونظفنا المائدة والمطبخ.

After the guest left, my mother helped me and we cleaned the dining table and the kitchen.

Breakdown of بعد أن خرجت الضيفة، ساعدتني أمي ونظفنا المائدة والمطبخ.

• ي: my
• و: and
• أن: (subordinating particle)
• بعد: after

Questions & Answers about بعد أن خرجت الضيفة، ساعدتني أمي ونظفنا المائدة والمطبخ.

Why does the sentence begin with بعد أن? What does أن do here?

بعد أن means after when it is followed by a full verb clause.

So:

• بعد = after
• أن خرجت الضيفة = the guest left

Together: بعد أن خرجت الضيفة = after the guest left

In MSA, بعد can be followed by:

• a noun: بعدَ الدرسِ = after the lesson
• or a clause with أن: بعد أن خرجت الضيفة = after the guest left

Here أن introduces the verb clause after بعد.

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Why is it خرجت and not خرج?

Because the subject is الضيفة = the female guest, which is feminine singular.

In the past tense, the verb agrees with a feminine singular subject by taking -ت:

• خرجَ = he went out / left
• خرجتْ = she went out / left

So:

• خرجت الضيفة = the female guest left

The same thing happens later in:

• ساعدتني أمي = my mother helped me

because أمي is also feminine.

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Why is the subject placed after the verb in خرجت الضيفة and ?