The most common use of the perfect infinitive is to say ‘after having done’ something.
To form the perfect infinitive, use the infinitiveThe form of the verb that has not been conjugated and is usually translated with 'to' in English, for example 'to play'. avoir or être and a past participleWords that express a completed action. They usually end in '-ed' in English, eg watched, danced, visited. The perfect infinitive only forms part of a sentence and must be preceded or followed by more information. For example:
Après avoir fait mes devoirs, j’ai regardé la télé. – After having done/After doing my homework, I watched TV.
Nous sommes allés au cinéma après avoir joué au foot. – We went to the cinema after having played football/after playing football.
If the verb takes être, the past participle must agree with the subject of the verb. For example:
Après être allée au supermarché, elle a fait la cuisine. – After having been/After going to the supermarket, she did the cooking.
