Breakdown of Después de lavarme el pelo, siempre uso acondicionador.
yo
I
siempre
always
después de
after
usar
to use
Questions & Answers about Después de lavarme el pelo, siempre uso acondicionador.
Why is it lavarme in Después de lavarme el pelo?
Lavarme is the infinitive lavar plus the reflexive/object pronoun me attached to the end.
- lavar = to wash
- lavarme = to wash myself / to wash my own
After después de, Spanish normally uses an infinitive, so después de lavarme means after washing my... or more naturally in English, after I wash my...
Attaching the pronoun to the infinitive is completely normal:
- antes de ducharme = before showering
- después de peinarme = after combing my hair
Why do you use después de + infinitive here instead of a full verb like después de me lavo?
Because after después de, Spanish usually uses:
- después de + infinitive when the subject is the same
- después de que + conjugated verb when you want a full clause
So this sentence uses:
- Después de lavarme el pelo... = After washing my hair... / After I wash my hair...
You cannot say después de me lavo.
A full alternative would be:
- Después de que me lavo el pelo, siempre uso acondicionador.
That is also correct, but después de + infinitive is very common and often more natural when the subject stays the same.
Why is it el pelo and not mi pelo?