How to say “After Doing Something” in Italian?
In Italian, the general expression “after doing something” is typically translated with dopo aver fatto qualcosa. This structure is quite easy:
- dopo + avere + past participle.
- dopo + essere + past participle.
It combines dopo (after) with the past infinitive of the auxiliary verb avere (to have) or essere (to be), composed of the auxiliary verb in the present infinitive followed by the past participle of the main verb.
Here are a few examples:
Ho fatto la doccia dopo aver mangiato
I took a shower after eating
Siamo usciti dopo aver finito il lavoro.
We went out after finishing the work.
Ti ha chiamato appena dopo essersi svegliato.
He called you right after waking up.
As you can see, for reflexive verbs you have to remember to adjust the reflexive pronoun accordingly.
How to Form the Past Participle
Regular Verbs
The past participles of regular verbs are easy to remember because they follow a pattern:
- The verbs that end in –are in the infinitive, end in –ato in the past participle.
- The verbs that end in –ere in the infinitive, end in –uto in the past participle.
- The verbs that end in –ire in the infinitive, end in –ito in the past participle.
Have a look at some examples:
- –are: mangiare (to eat), ballare (to dance), and cantare (to sing) become mangiato, ballato, and cantato.
- –ere: credere (to believe), cadere (to fall), and ricevere (to receive) become creduto, caduto, and ricevuto.
- –ire: pulire (to clean), dormire (to sleep), and sentire (to feel) become pulito, dormito, and sentito.
Irregular Verbs
As all irregular verbs, irregular past participles don’t follow a pattern, so basically, you need to memorize them.
Here’s a list of the most common ones:
- aprire (to open): aperto
- bere (to drink): bevuto
- decidere (to decide): deciso
- essere (to be): stato
- dire (to say): detto
- fare (to do): fatto
- leggere (to read): letto
- mettere (to put): messo
- perdere (to lose): perso
- prendere (to get): preso
- rimanere (to stay): rimasto
- scegliere (to choose): scelto
- scrivere (to write): scritto
- vedere (to see): visto
- vivere (to live): vissuto
Essere vs Avere + Past Participle?
When dealing with compound verbs, like the past infinitive, you have to make sure you choose the right auxiliary verb. If you have doubts about whether you need essere or avere, follow these tips:
- essere: it is used with intransitive verbs that take a indirect object and, therefore, require a preposition to link verb and object. These intransitive verbs usually indicate motion or a change of state.
Dopo essere andata in Spagna, sono andata in Francia.
After going to Spain, I went to France.
Dopo essere rimasti una settimana da loro, siamo tornati a casa.
After staying at their place for a week, we came back home.
Dopo essere tornato in Italia, ho ripreso a lavorare.
After returning to Italy, I got back to work.
Always remember that an important aspect of the auxiliary essere in compound verbs is that the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject:
- avere: it is used as an auxiliary verb with transitive verbs in compound tenses, that is, verbs that select a direct object which requires no preposition to be introduced.
Dopo aver cenato, siamo andati a ballare.
After having dinner, we went dancing.
Dopo aver vissuto in Germania, voglio imparare il tedesco.
After living in Germany, I want to learn German.
Dopo aver fatto i compiti, mia figlia è andata a giocare fuori.
After finishing her homework, my daughter went to play outside.
As you can see, in this case the past participle never agrees in gender and number with the subject so it always ends in -o.
