Après avoir fait = After doing (auxiliary avoir)

In: Level C1, Prepositions & Conjunctions, Conjonction de subordination, Temps composé, Infinitif passé
Questions: 22

In French, if you're using après + [verbe], we consider that this action is always going to take place in the past of when you're speaking. 
Therefore, you could NEVER say après faire ça the way you say after doing that in English!

Look at these examples:

Ils passeront la serpillière après avoir fait la vaisselle.
They will mop the floor after doing the dishes.

Nous sommes allés nous coucher après avoir dit au revoir à Lisa.
We went to bed after having said goodbye to Lisa.

Après avoir fini ma dissertation, je commencerai mes révisions.
After finishing my essay, I will start studying for my exam.

Après avoir quitté la soirée, Éric est rentré chez lui.
After having left the party, Éric went back home.

Note that to express after + -ing (or after having + past participle) in French, you use the same following structure:

après + infinitive of auxiliary (être or avoir) + past participle

 

ATTENTION:
Use the same auxiliary as in compound tenses like Le Passé Composé.

 

When using avoir preceded by an object pronoun (après l'avoir vu/e), you need to agree the past participle with the object referred to by the object pronoun!

Après l'avoir vue, il ne pouvait penser à rien d'autre.
After having seen her, he could think of nothing else.

 

See also the more complex cases: Après être allé = After going (auxiliary être) 

Learn more about these related French grammar topics

Conjonction de subordination

Temps composé

Infinitif passé

Examples and resources

Ils passeront la serpillière après avoir fait la vaisselle.
They will mop the floor after doing the dishes.

Nous sommes allés nous coucher après avoir dit au revoir à Lisa.
We went to bed after having said goodbye to Lisa.

Après avoir quitté la soirée, Éric est rentré chez lui.
After having left the party, Éric went back home.

Après avoir fini ma dissertation, je commencerai mes révisions.
After finishing my essay, I will start studying for my exam.

Après l'avoir vue, il ne pouvait penser à rien d'autre.
After having seen her, he could think of nothing else.

Q&A

Jenk

Kwiziq community member

30 March 2019

2 replies

Aren't we suppose to use the futur anterieur in this sentence? Après avoir fini ma dissertation, je commencerai mes révisions

Cécile

Kwiziq language super star

2 April 2019

2/04/19

Hi Jenk,

It is because of 'Après' which is followed by a past infinitive in French.

If you change to 'quand' you will indeed use the futur antérieur :

'Quand j'aurai fini ma dissertation, je commencerai mes révisions.'

Bonne continuation!

Jenk

Kwiziq community member

4 April 2019

4/04/19

I see. Thanks for the clarification, Cécile.

Jenk

Kwiziq community member

30 March 2019

1 reply

Hello,

Cécile

Kwiziq language super star

4 April 2019

4/04/19

Bonjour!

Uber

Kwiziq community member

15 March 2019

0 replies

Quiz comment/query - Lucette changea les draps

This is a bit of an indirect question related to this lesson about "aprés avoir fait".

The sentence used in the quiz is: "Lucette changea les draps aprés avoir fait le lit." This got me wondering about "changea" and what verb form it is, why we wouldn't say "Lucette a changé les draps aprés avoir fait le lit." But on further reading I see that this is just the difference between a form used in conversation French (passé composé - which perhaps most learners come across first) vs written French (passé simple - which learners come across later..?)

My other question is whether the sentence should actually read: "Aprés avoir changé les draps, Lucette fis / a fait le let." You change the sheets before making the bed, right?

Michael

Kwiziq community member

12 March 2019

2 replies

going and/or doing...shopping?

Après ________ les courses, je t'aiderai avec tes devoirs.After going food shopping, I'll help you with your homework.HINT: Use "faire"The answer is... après "avoir fait".I left this unanswered because I was not certain that the verbs "going" and "doing", are both expressed using "avoir fait".You did not teach that...or did I miss something?I learned...après "être allé" was used to express,  "After going..."Please explain. Thank you

Cécile

Kwiziq language super star

12 March 2019

12/03/19

Hi Michael,

You can say both -

après être allé en courses / après avoir fait les courses 

depending whether you use the expression 'aller en courses' or 'faire les courses' which mean similar things (to go shopping or to do the shopping) .

Hope this helps! 

Michael

Kwiziq community member

12 March 2019

12/03/19

Thank you Cécile.

peter

Kwiziq community member

21 August 2018

1 reply

apres

I will do this after I wash my hands. Will do is future, wash is present why do I need to use the past tense for wash. The sentence I am setting up future after present tense and the present tense is "past" relative to the future tense

Chris

Kwiziq community member

23 August 2018

23/08/18

Hi peter,

What can I say, in French people think differently when it comes to tenses. The English correspondence (though not entirely correct) would be: 

I'll do this after having washed my hands. -- Je ferai ça après avoir lavé les mains. 

Aprés usually asks for some kind of past tense when using it with a verb. 

-- Chris (not a native speaker).

Paul

Kwiziq community member

25 June 2018

1 reply

Après avoir fait = After doing (simple expression)

Can you please explain what "simple expression" means in this context? 

Aurélie

Kwiziq language super star

26 June 2018

26/06/18

Bonjour Paul !

Here the distinction is actually between verbs that take "avoir" or "être" as auxiliary, but I agree that simple and complex are misleading.

I've therefore changed the titles to:

Après avoir fait = After doing (auxiliary avoir)
Après être allé = After going (auxiliary être)

Merci beaucoup de votre feedback et bonne journée !

John

Kwiziq community member

30 April 2018

2 replies

Is it serpillère or serpillière? Dictionaries suggest the latter.

Aurélie

Kwiziq language super star

30 April 2018

30/04/18

Bonjour John !

Thank you so much for spotting that mistake !
You've just proven that even with your native tongue, you can learn new things every day :)

I've now corrected it :)

Merci beaucoup et bonne journée !

John

Kwiziq community member

30 April 2018

30/04/18

My pleasure. The whole phrase was new to me!

alison

Kwiziq community member

22 October 2017

1 reply

apres avoir fait

is the title of this a little misleading as most of the examples don't actually use faire?

Ron

Kwiziq community member

22 October 2017

22/10/17

Bonjour Alison,
L'utilisation du verbe «faire» ce n'était qu'un exemple. Le titre aurait pu être n’importe quel verbe, i.e. après avoir mangé = after eating, après avoir lu = after reading, etc. En ce qui concerne le titre-ci, je pense que «faire» a été utilisé de façon générique pour indiquer «faire n'importe quoi», i.e. manger, lire, dormir, sourire, rire, etc. parce que la forme serait le même avec n’importe quel verbe sauf celles qui nécessitent l’utilisation de l’être .
J'espère que ma réponse vous aidera.
Bonne chance et bonne continuation dans vos études en français, la langue de Molière et qui a été utilisé par le monde français depuis l’époque d’Hugues Capet

Ron (un locuteur non natif )

yellamaraju

Kwiziq community member

1 August 2017

1 reply

Après avoir / après d'avoir

After watching the film: Après d'avoir regardé ce film- was marked correct. Why it can't be said as: "Après avoir regardé ce film. Is it because 'watching' is considered a gerund ? Thanks.

Laura

Kwiziq language super star

5 August 2017

5/08/17

Bonjour Yallamaraju, Après avoir regardé is the only correct way to say it. If you see an error like this again, please report it to info@kwiziq.com

Carolyn

Kwiziq community member

27 March 2017

1 reply

Perfect infinitive vs Après que

Does the sentence "Après qu'il a quitté la soirée, Eric est rentré chez lui" mean the same as "Après avoir quitté la soirée, Eric est rentré chez lui." Is using "après que" an easier way to say the same thing?

Aurélie

Kwiziq language super star

27 March 2017

27/03/17

Bonjour Carolyn ! Both sentences are correct. Here the nuance of meaning would be the same as in English: - After he left the party, Eric went home. - After leaving the party, Eric went home. We would tend to choose the second option when the subject is the same in both parts of the sentence, but the other way is not incorrect either :) I hope that's helpful! À bientôt !

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