"
I'll talk to you about a project after they've left
": this sentence, like all those made up of the conjunctive phrase "
after that
" and conjugated in the indicative, can tickle the ear.
And yet...
If we tend to use the subjunctive with the formula “after that” and so say “
I'll talk to you about a project after they've left
”, it's very wrong.
Indeed, the use of the subjunctive in this sentence is quite incorrect.
Linguist Julien Soulié explains why we (too) commonly make the mistake in
Les Pourquoi du Français
(2022), .
” READ ALSO – Julien Soulié: “Latin and Greek make it possible to think about the world of today”
Julien Soulié recalls that the subjunctive is the mode of virtuality, "
that of the action which, in another world, takes place differently
", considering that "
the action can or could have happened in another way
".
It is therefore natural that the phrases "
although
", "
for little that
", "
although
" and "
before
" are followed by a verb in the subjunctive, since they announce a hypothetical action or one which has not yet taken place. venue.
On the other hand, "
after
" refers to an action that is (or will be) already accomplished: in "
after you leave my house, the children will take a nap
", it is certain that the person to whom address the interlocutor will leave, and that the children go to the siesta afterwards.
The action is not virtual, so you have to use the indicative.
If there is error, there is cause
How, then, to explain such a frequent error?
Julien Soulié remarks that the confusion is notably due to an “
analogy with “before”
”, but also to the fact that “
after that, would suffice to express posteriority in itself
”.
We explain to you.
The forms of the indicative are sometimes difficult to handle and writing "
they had made the party, after you had been gone
" may seem redundant, since the phrase "
after
" already indicates that the action introduced is prior to the other.
Conversely, the subjunctive "
would very simply express the accomplished aspect
", indicates Julien Soulié, because "
it is by definition impervious to the three temporal stages which are the past, the present, and the future
".
However, let us remember the good rule: “after that” is always followed by the indicative.