French language Q&A Forum

How would I say, " Reading is my favorite pass-time, it relaxes me"? Where "it" refers to reading. 

We can't use dans for years in terms of dates, but can we use it for years in terms of time?

E.g.: Je vais travailler dans quatre ans. (I will be working in 4 years)

Why is araignée plural while all the other nouns are singular.  Spider legs.  Why spiders' legs?

"I've always..." describes something that starts in the past and must surely still be going on.  How is that not the use of imparfait?  Similarly in another recent lesson, "I fell in love with..." again states a condition now (in love) that began in the past.  Yet both of these were phrased in Passe Compose.  I've read and reread the lessons on passe-compose/imparfait but they do not seem to address "I've always found... I fell in love...".  Please help, Je suis tellement exaspéré !  :-)

Ma femme viendra nous rejoindre après avoir couché le bébé.

My wife will come and join us after putting the baby to sleep.

(HINT: Use 'coucher' (to put to bed))

I put:

Ma femme viendra nous rejoindre après être couché le bébé.

I thought coucher takes être as its auxiliary. Does that only apply when its reflexive? Or is there some other problem?