Learn Hardcore Italian: Dopo aver spazzato il soggiorno, porto l’aspirapolvere in cantina. - After sweeping the living room, I carry the vacuum cleaner to the cellar.

Why is dopo aver spazzato il soggiorno constructed with dopo + past infinitive instead of using a full clause like dopo che ho spazzato il soggiorno?

Italian allows the preposition dopo to introduce a past infinitive (called the infinito passato) to show that one action (sweeping) is completed before another.
• dopo aver spazzato... = “after having swept...”
• dopo che ho spazzato... is also correct but forms a subordinate clause. The infinitive version is more concise and common in written or formal Italian.

What exactly is the infinito passato, and how is it formed?

The infinito passato (or infinito composto) is an infinitive that expresses a completed action. You form it by combining the infinitive of the auxiliary (avere or essere) + the past participle of the main verb.
In our example:
• auxiliary = avere → aver (cliticized to aver before a vowel)
• past participle = spazzato
So you get aver spazzato, and after dopo it becomes dopo aver spazzato.

I’ve seen dopo di aver spazzato in some texts. Do I need that extra di?

The standard modern usage is dopo aver without di. Some older or regional styles insert di (dopo di aver), but most grammar guides discourage it. Simply use dopo aver + participio.

Why is the article lo elided to l’ in porto l’aspirapolvere?

Italian uses elision when a definite article ending in a vowel meets a word beginning with a vowel.
• lo + aspirapolvere → l’aspirapolvere
This makes pronunciation smoother.

Why is there no article before cantina in porto l’aspirapolvere in cantina?

With certain locations or rooms (cantina, cucina, camera, ecc.), Italian often drops the article after in when speaking generically:
• in cantina = “to the (basement/cellar)” in a general sense.
If you wanted to be specific—“to the wine cellar”—you could say nella cantina dei vini.

Could I switch the order to porto in cantina l’aspirapolvere? Would that still be correct?

Yes, it’s grammatically possible to front the locative phrase:
• Porto in cantina l’aspirapolvere.
However, the more neutral, everyday order is porto l’aspirapolvere in cantina, which keeps the direct object close to the verb.

Can I replace l’aspirapolvere with a pronoun to avoid repetition?

Absolutely. After mentioning l’aspirapolvere, you can say:
• Dopo aver spazzato il soggiorno, lo porto in cantina.
Here lo is the direct-object pronoun referring back to l’aspirapolvere and must appear before porto.

What’s the difference between avendo spazzato il soggiorno and dopo aver spazzato il soggiorno?

• avendo spazzato is the past gerund (gerundio passato), literally “having swept.” It often implies cause or circumstance:
– Avendo spazzato il soggiorno, ho risparmiato tempo. (“Since I swept the living room, I saved time.”)
• dopo aver spazzato explicitly marks a sequence (“after having swept”), focusing on the order of actions rather than cause. For sequencing, dopo aver is clearer.