Quastion: expression of time in a complex sentence I've read recently the following sentence: "After Anna learned about it, she decided to rent a different apartment". I am confused about its gramatic

Olga

Quastion: expression of time in a complex sentence I've read recently the following sentence: "After Anna learned about it, she decided to rent a different apartment". I am confused about its gramatical structure. I suppose the first part of this sentense should be in Past Perfect "After Anna HAD learned about it..." Because this action happened before her decision to rent a different apartment. But at the same time the action can be simultaneously: she learned and decided at once. Can we use in that case in the both parts of the sentence Past Simple?

Aug 2, 2015 7:50 AM

Corrections · 3

You're right -- the meaning of the first clause is past perfect, however, it's not necessary or desirable to use the past perfect tense since the word "after" clearly indicates the sequence of events.

As to the second part of your question, if the events were simultaneous, you would indeed use the simple past for both, and substitute "when" for "after:" "When Anna learned about it, she decided to rent a different apartment."

August 2, 2015

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