Breakdown of Nosotros trasplantamos el árbol después de que él comprara la arcilla.
él
he
de
from / of
comprar
to buy
nosotros
we
el árbol
the tree
que
that / than
la
the (feminine)
después
after / afterwards
trasplantar
to transplant
la arcilla
the clay
Questions & Answers about Nosotros trasplantamos el árbol después de que él comprara la arcilla.
Why is comprara in the imperfect subjunctive if he already bought the clay?
This highlights the Latin American variation you are currently learning. Traditionally, después de que followed by a completed past action takes the indicative (like compró). However, in Latin America, it is extremely common to use the imperfect subjunctive (comprara) for these completed past events instead.
Could we just say después de comprar instead of después de que él comprara?
Not in this sentence, because there are two different subjects. "We" (nosotros) transplanted the tree, but "he" (él) bought the clay. You only drop the que and use the infinitive (like después de comprar) when the same person performs both actions.
How can we tell if trasplantamos is in the present or the past tense here?
Since después de que allows this regional variation, does antes de que also give us a choice between the indicative and subjunctive?
No, antes de que is stricter. It always requires the subjunctive, no matter what region you are in or whether the action is in the past, present, or future. The flexibility you see in this sentence is specific to después de que.
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