How does the recent past structure work with pronouns and reflexives?

Question

Example: Tu es aller à la poste? If one wanted to avoid repetition, where should any pronouns be placed? Provision of examples would help greatly. Thanks heaps!

Accepted Answer

Hi Andrea, 
With the sentence, you quote -
Tu es allé/e à la poste ? ------> Oui, j'y suis allé/e hier
Did you go to the post office? ------> Yes, I went there yesterday
Y replaces à la poste and the following Kwiziq lesson will help you -
https://french.kwiziq.com/revision/grammar/the-adverbial-pronoun-y-means-there
If you used 'venir de' which you pinned to your question -
Tu viens d'aller à la poste ?-----> Oui, je viens d'y aller
Have you just been to the post office? ----> Yes, I have just been (there)
Hope this helps!

Answer

Hi Peter, 
The verb 'venir' de to express a recent past can be used in the présent or the imparfait.

Il venait d'arriver = He had just arrived
Je venais de me réveiller = I had just woken up 
Il venait d'aller à la poste = He had just been to the post office

Answer

Je viens de me réveiller - I just woke up

If you say: "Tu es venu d'aller à La Poste"- It would mean :"You HAD just gone to the post office".

Otherwise: Tu viens d'aller à La Poste = You have just gone to the p.o. (You just went to the p.o. )