Word
Hon tog på sig parfymen efter att ha sminkat sig.
Meaning
She put on the perfume after putting on makeup.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Hon tog på sig parfymen efter att ha sminkat sig.
hon
she
ha
to have
att
to
ta på sig
to put on (clothes)
Questions & Answers about Hon tog på sig parfymen efter att ha sminkat sig.
Why do we use efter att ha sminkat sig instead of a regular past tense clause like efter att hon sminkade sig?
You can actually use both! However, efter att ha (after having) followed by the supinum form (sminkat) is a very common and elegant way to link two past events when the subject (in this case, hon) is the same for both actions. It works just like saying after putting on makeup instead of after she put on makeup in English.
Why is it sminkat and not sminkade?
Because it follows the helping verb ha. Whenever you use a form of the verb to have (har, hade, or ha), the main verb must be in the supinum form, which usually ends in -t. Here, ha sminkat sig translates to having put on makeup.
Why does the word sig appear twice in this sentence?
Because the sentence contains two reflexive verbs. Ta på sig means to put on (used for clothes, shoes, or perfume), and sminka sig means to put on makeup. Since the subject is hon (she), the reflexive pronoun for both actions must be sig (herself).
Could I change the word order and say hon tog parfymen på sig?