The Perfect Infinitive
When talking about daily routines, you often describe actions in a sequence. To say "after doing [something]" or "after having done [something]," Swedish uses the phrase efter att ha followed by the supine form of the verb.
When an efter att ha phrase begins a sentence, it takes up the first position. To satisfy the V2 rule, the main clause that follows must immediately start with its verb.
| After using the shampoo, she left the bathroom. | Efter att ha använt schampot lämnade hon badrummet. |
Reflexive Verbs in Sequences
Getting ready for the day frequently involves reflexive verbs like att kamma sig (to comb one's hair) or att tvätta sig (to wash oneself). Whether the reflexive verb is in the main clause or inside the efter att ha phrase, its reflexive pronoun always matches the subject of the sentence.
| After putting the soap on the sink, he washed himself. | Efter att ha lagt tvålen på handfatet tvättade han sig. |
| After combing and blow-drying her hair, she was ready. | Efter att ha kammat sig och fönat håret var hon klar. |
Mid-Sentence Position
You can also place the efter att ha phrase in the second half of the sentence. When you do this, the main clause comes first and simply uses standard Subject-Verb word order.
| She put on the perfume after putting on makeup. | Hon tog på sig parfymen efter att ha sminkat sig. |
| He washed himself with the soap after using the razor. | Han tvättade sig med tvålen efter att ha använt rakhyveln. |
Sequences with 'När'
As an alternative to the perfect infinitive, you will sometimes see sequences expressed with full subordinate clauses using när (when) and the past perfect (hade + supine).
| When she had blow-dried her hair, she looked for the deodorant. | När hon hade fönat håret letade hon efter deodoranten. |