Italiano — Past infinitive
The past infinitive expresses an action completed before the main verb. It is formed with the infinitive of avere or essere plus the past participle, as in dopo aver mangiato ('after having eaten').
How it works
It appears mainly after dopo (after) and per, prima di and senza, where it marks anteriority: dopo aver mangiato, and with essere-verbs the participle agrees with the subject — dopo essere arrivata (a woman) becomes arrivata. In dopo the past infinitive is compulsory: Italian does not say dopo mangiare.
Examples
| Italian | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Dopo aver mangiato, siamo usciti. | After eating, we went out. |
| Dopo essere arrivato, ha telefonato. | After arriving, he phoned. |
| Dopo essersi alzata, ha fatto colazione. | After getting up, she had breakfast. |
| Grazie per avermi aiutato. | Thank you for having helped me. |
| Prima di aver finito, non uscire. | Before you have finished, don't go out. |
| È partito senza aver salutato. | He left without having said goodbye. |
Good to know
The final -e of avere and essere is usually dropped before the participle: dopo aver mangiato, dopo esser andato (though avere/essere are also acceptable). With avere-verbs the participle stays invariable, but an object pronoun attaches to the auxiliary and forces agreement: dopo averla vista (her). This construction requires the same subject as the main clause — otherwise use a dopo che clause with a finite verb.