Después de hacer la compra, guardo la fruta fresca en la nevera.

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Breakdown of Después de hacer la compra, guardo la fruta fresca en la nevera.

• en: in
• después de: after
• la fruta: the fruit

Questions & Answers about Después de hacer la compra, guardo la fruta fresca en la nevera.

Why does después use de here: Después de hacer la compra?

Because in Spanish, después is normally followed by de before a noun or an infinitive.

• después de + noun → después de la cena = after dinner
• después de + infinitive → después de comer = after eating

So Después de hacer la compra literally means After doing the shopping.

A very common mistake for English speakers is to forget the de and say después hacer..., which is not correct.

What does hacer la compra mean exactly?

Hacer la compra is a very common expression in Spain meaning to do the grocery shopping or to buy food and household essentials.

It does not usually mean just any kind of shopping. For general shopping, you are more likely to hear:

• ir de compras = to go shopping
• hacer compras = to shop / make purchases

In this sentence, hacer la compra clearly refers to food shopping.

Why is it la compra and not just compra?

Because hacer la compra is a fixed expression. Spanish often uses the definite article in places where English does not.

So:

• hacer la compra = to do the shopping / grocery shopping

This is similar to other Spanish expressions where the article is part of the normal phrase.