Answer Question
Correct use of "Dopo"
Sophie implies that there are two correct uses of "Dopo". (1) Dopo + time/noun, and (2) Dopo + aver/essere + past participle. It is never mentioned in the lesson whether Aver or Essere may/should be conjugated in this construct, but the implication is that it is NOT conjugated. Now comes "write the phrase you read" where the correct response is "Dopo essere stati al museo, abbiamo visitato la città e dopo siamo andati al cinema". The second phrase is absolutely Dopo + essere + past participle, BUT here essere is conjugated. What makes that possible????? It seems plausible since the usage is different - in the first case it is "after having been" and in the second case it is "afterwards we went", but when is a rule a rule?? The lesson says that Dopo + aver/essere + past participle is invariably that way, but in the very same lesson the rule is broken. So, it really isn't a rule, is it? Kind of like a stop sign in Italy - merely a suggestion !!