Using "après être + past participle" when the main clause is in passé simple

Tricia B.C1Kwiziq community member

Using "après être + past participle" when the main clause is in passé simple

I thought it was interesting that it can apparently be correct to blend passé composé and passé simple in the same sentence, according to this supposedly correct Kwiz answer: "Après s'être levé, William alla prendre son douche." Perhaps that is something that should be mentioned/clarified in the pertinent lesson?

Asked 6 months ago
CélineKwiziq team memberCorrect answer

Bonjour Tricia,

In the sentence "Après s'être levé, William alla prendre son douche.", there is no Passé Composé: while you correctly pointed out the main clause is conjugated in Le Passé Simple"après" is followed by L'Infinitif Passé (not Le Passé Composé).

I hope this is helpful.

Bonne journée !

Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Using two different tenses in one sentence isn't something rare and happens quite often -- in English as well as in French.

Alan G.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Using the passé composé and passé simple in the same sentence is very rare, Chris. 

But I wouldn't say that a past infinitive is the passé composé.

Using "après être + past participle" when the main clause is in passé simple

I thought it was interesting that it can apparently be correct to blend passé composé and passé simple in the same sentence, according to this supposedly correct Kwiz answer: "Après s'être levé, William alla prendre son douche." Perhaps that is something that should be mentioned/clarified in the pertinent lesson?

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