Breakdown of Después de haber llovido, el aire se siente fresco.
después de
after
sentir
to feel
el aire
the air
fresco
fresh
Questions & Answers about Después de haber llovido, el aire se siente fresco.
Why does the sentence use “después de haber llovido” instead of “después de llover” or “después de que llovió”?
- “Después de” is a preposition, so if it’s followed directly by a verb, that verb must be in the infinitive. To show that the action is completed before the main clause, Spanish can use the perfect infinitive: haber + past participle → haber llovido.
- “Después de llover” is also correct; it’s the simple infinitive. It often sounds a bit more general or habitual. “Después de haber llovido” highlights completion a bit more explicitly and can sound a touch more formal.
- With a finite verb, you must add “que”: después de que llovió/ha llovido. Those are also correct and common.
Is “después de llover” wrong here?
No. Después de llover, el aire se siente fresco is perfectly natural. The difference from “después de haber llovido” is subtle: the perfect infinitive emphasizes the prior completion of the rain; the simple infinitive is more neutral or generic. In everyday speech, many speakers would use either without worrying about nuance.
Can I say “después que” instead of “después de que”?
In Spain, the standard form is después de que. Después que is heard in parts of Latin America and is accepted by the RAE, but in Spain it can sound nonstandard. If your goal is Peninsular Spanish, use después de que with a clause, or después de + infinitive.
What does the “se” do in “se siente”?