Completed Past Actions with "después de que"
In many parts of Latin America, you'll hear a unique variation when talking about the past: using the imperfect subjunctive after después de que (after) to describe completed actions.
While the subjunctive usually signals uncertainty, in this time expression it is widely used to report factual, finished events. For regular -ar verbs like despuntar (to trim) and curvar (to bend), the imperfect subjunctive for both yo and él/ella/usted ends in -ara.
| After the mentor trimmed the bonsai, I swept. | Después de que el mentor despuntara el bonsái, yo barrí. |
| After the master bent the branch, I sat down. | Después de que el maestro curvara la rama, me senté. |
Just like in English, the después de que clause can start the sentence or come in the middle.
| Did you clean the pot after he transplanted the tree? | ¿Limpiaste la maceta después de que él trasplantara el árbol? |
| The silhouette improved after he wired the tree. | La silueta mejoró después de que él alambrara el árbol. |
You will use this structure when there is a change of subject—for instance, the master does one thing, and the apprentice does another.
| The mentor rested after I transplanted the tree. | El mentor descansó después de que yo trasplantara el árbol. |
Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io