Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Quiero ducharme después de comer.

In Spanish, when one verb follows another (like quiero), the second verb usually remains in its infinitive form (here, ducharme). The reflexive pronoun (me) is attached to the end of the infinitive. If you said me ducho right after quiero, it would be ungrammatical because quiero requires an infinitive, not a conjugated verb.

Could you also say Quiero ducharme después de que coma or something similar?

Yes, but the meaning would be slightly different. Quiero ducharme después de que coma combines two clauses and places emphasis on after I have finished eating in a more explicit way. In everyday speech, después de comer is simpler and more common, and it implies after (I) eat without needing a full subordinate clause.

Why is the reflexive pronoun me at the end of ducharme instead of appearing separately, like quiero me duchar?

In Spanish, reflexive pronouns tend to attach to the infinitive (e.g., ducharme, lavarme, vestirme). Saying quiero me duchar is not correct; Spanish grammar rules dictate that the pronoun either goes before a conjugated verb (me quiero duchar) or is attached to the infinitive (quiero ducharme).

What is the function of después de in this sentence?

Después de is a preposition phrase used to indicate a time sequence. It means after, and when followed by an infinitive (comer), it indicates that the action of eating will happen before the action of showering.

Is there any difference between después de comer and luego de comer?

They both mean after eating, but después de is more commonly used in Spain, while luego de may be heard more often in Latin America. They’re generally interchangeable in meaning, although después de is the more standard form in most contexts in Spain.