It is worth noting that après que (after...) is followed by tenses in the Mode indicatif and NOT in Mode subjonctif!
The reason is very simple: après que introduces an action that happened for certain and therefore requires the Mode indicatif. The Mode subjonctif, on the other hand, is the mood of doubt and uncertainty.
(1)
Après que vous avez visité la ville, vous êtes allés boire un verre.
After you visited the city, you went and had a drink.
Après que j'ai vu ce film, j'étais bouleversé.
After I saw that film, I was overwhelmed.
Il a laissé sa voiture au garage après qu'elle était allée à la banque.
He dropped her car off at the garage after she had gone to the bank.
(2)
Après qu’ils sont arrivés, ils vont saluer ma mère.
After they've arrived, they go and say hello to my mother.
Tout le monde part après qu'elle sonne la cloche.
Everyone leaves after she rings the bell.
For other cases, see Quand, lorsque, après que, une fois que + Le Futur Antérieur = 'when, after I've done in the future
Note that many French people make the mistake of using Le Subjonctif instead of L'Indicatif after après que!
Note that avant que (i.e. before...) IS followed by Le Subjonctif because of the uncertainty of this action.
See Avant que + ne explétif + Le Subjonctif = Before I do
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
Il a laissé sa voiture au garage après qu'elle était allée à la banque.
He dropped her car off at the garage after she had gone to the bank.
Nous avons rattrapé notre travail après que nous avons été absents.
We caught up on our work after we were absent.
Après qu’ils sont arrivés, ils vont saluer ma mère.
After they've arrived, they go and say hello to my mother.
Après que j'ai vu ce film, j'étais bouleversé.
After I saw that film, I was overwhelmed.
Tout le monde part après qu'elle sonne la cloche.
Everyone leaves after she rings the bell.
Après que vous avez visité la ville, vous êtes allés boire un verre.
After you visited the city, you went and had a drink.
Je me lave après que tu te lèves.
I wash after you get up.
Q&A
Gruff
Kwiziq language super star
11/03/19
Hi Tracy - what was the message inside the box?
Tracy
Kwiziq community member
11/03/19
Several messages such as
Hope you’re having a nice day
Clever stuff coming up
That kind of thing
Gruff
Kwiziq language super star
11/03/19
Sounds like a bug. Thanks for letting us know.
Tracy
Kwiziq community member
11/03/19
Ok thanks for looking into it.
Chris
Kwiziq community member
11/10/18
I went back to sleep after you left.
You need the passé composé.
Ian
Kwiziq community member
12/10/18
Chris
Kwiziq community member
12/10/18
Don't fret about passé simple. It is never used unless you're writing literary French. Did you mean another tense? Maybe plus-que-parfait?
You use the plus-que-parfait if you want to stress that the two actions are temporally farther apart. Either one is correct, but the choice depends on the temporal relationship between the two actions.
Je suis retourné me coucher après que tu es parti. -- I went back to sleep after you left.
Je suis retourné me coucher après que tu étais parti. -- I went back to sleep after you had left. (This doesn't quite work for me in English, though).
P.S.: In my first post there slipped an extraneous "s" into "partis" that shouldn't be there.
Ian
Kwiziq community member
12/10/18
Chris
Kwiziq community member
12/10/18
Chris
Kwiziq community member
31/07/18
Hi Donald,
your version seems correct to me.
-- Chris.
Cécile
Kwiziq language super star
2/08/18
Bonjour Donald,
In my opinion 'après que tu t'en es allé ' although correct, sounds clumsy .
You could say 'après ton départ' of course but that was not the point of the lesson I expect.
Bonne continuation!
Nino
Kwiziq community member
20/09/18
Cécile
Kwiziq language super star
21/09/18
Nino
Kwiziq community member
21/09/18
Chris
Kwiziq community member
28/06/18
Hi Ann, "sortir" is more "to go out" than "to leave". Of course, in order to go out, one has to leave home but partir is the proper choice of verb, in my opinion.
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
Ann
Kwiziq community member
28/06/18
Paul
Kwiziq community member
19 June 2018
1 reply
j'étais bouleversé
Hi, Is there a lesson on when to use a past participle as an adjective? Thanks.
Chris
Kwiziq community member
20/06/18
Hi Paul,
I don't think there's a whole lot of difference between English and French on this point.
J'étais bouleversé. -- I was shaken. (shaken is the participle of to shake)
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
Chris
Kwiziq community member
28/02/18
See my response to your previous post. -- Chris.
Chris
Kwiziq community member
28/02/18
The rule is that you need que if what follows is a complete subordinate clause with its own subject and verb. Otherwise you omit que.
Je vais ranger ma chambre après avoir fait mes devoirs. -- I will tidy my room after having done my homework.
Je vais ranger ma chambre après que j'aurai fait mes devoirs. -- I will tidy my room after I will have made my homework.
In the first case you don't have a clause following après, just an infitif passé (avoir fait), hence no que. The second example sports a complete subordinate clause and therefore requires que.
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
William
Kwiziq community member
7 August 2017
2 replies
Après que + l'indicatif
Just a thought. After “ Après que“, you use an indicative tense. Since the 1st, 2nd and 3rd person singular for “réussir“ is the same for both the present tense and the simple past tense. These two tenses are both indicative tenses, one present tense and the other past tense. Could “J'étais soulagée après que tu réussis ton exam“ also be considered a correct answer in this example?
Ron
Kwiziq community member
9/08/17
Cécile
Kwiziq language super star
30/12/18
Hi William ,
It would be -
"J'étais soulagé après que tu as réussi (eu) ton examen"
Laura
Kwiziq language super star
14/05/17
Doraida
Kwiziq community member
14/05/17
William
Kwiziq community member
27 April 2019
1 reply
Passé Simple Indicatif ou pas?
Is "tu réussis" acceptable here? The present tense and simple past are the same with "tu réussis" !
Cécile
Kwiziq language super star
13 May 2019
13/05/19
Hi William,
I am not sure which example you are referring to , but I can confirm that, 'Tu réussis' is the same in the second personal singular form of the présent and passé simple...