Breakdown of Después de haber tachado muchas palabras de la lista, me siento más tranquilo.
yo
I
después de
after
mucho
many
sentirse
to feel
Questions & Answers about Después de haber tachado muchas palabras de la lista, me siento más tranquilo.
Why does Spanish use después de haber tachado here instead of just a normal past tense?
Haber tachado is the perfect infinitive. It literally means to have crossed out.
In this sentence, it shows that the crossing out happened before the feeling in the main clause:
- Después de haber tachado... = After having crossed out...
- me siento más tranquilo = I feel calmer / more at ease
Spanish often uses this structure after expressions like después de when it wants to make it especially clear that one action was completed first.
Could you also say Después de tachar muchas palabras de la lista...?
Yes, absolutely.
Both are possible:
- Después de tachar muchas palabras de la lista...
- Después de haber tachado muchas palabras de la lista...
The version with haber tachado sounds a bit more explicit about the action being completed beforehand. The shorter version, después de tachar, is also very natural and common.
So the difference is mostly one of emphasis and style, not basic meaning.
Why is it después de and not just después?