Using Spanish conjunction al + infinitive/perfect infinitive = when doing/ because of doing [something]
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Learn about "al" with an infinitive in Spanish
In Spanish, the conjunction "al" followed by an infinitive is used in clauses that express either When/while doing [something] or Because of doing [something].
When/while doing something
Al calentar la leche, me quemé.When I was heating up the milk, I burned myself.
Se ha desmayado al leer la noticia.She fainted while reading the news.
With this temporal meaning of al + infinitive, the exact timing isn't explicit. Depending on the context, it can mean during, when, upon or on doing something.
Because of doing something
Al terminar la sesión antes de lo previsto, pudimos volver a casa antes.Because the session finished earlier than expected, we were able to return home earlier.
Al portarse tan mal, lo expulsaron del colegio.Due to his appalling behaviour, he was expelled from school.
With this causal meaning of al + infinitive, the action or situation expressed by the infinitive is presented as the reason why the main action happens. It can often be understood as because/as/due to doing something.
Use of the perfect infinitive (al + haber + past participle)
When referring to past actions, al can also be followed by the perfect infinitive (haber + past participle), with both temporal and causal meanings. Unlike al + simple infinitive, this structure explicitly presents the action as already completed before the action in the main clause. So, although both structures may sometimes be possible in the same context, they do not express exactly the same perspective.
Have a look at some of the previous examples but using the El Infinitivo Compuesto instead:
Al haber calentado la leche, me quemé.Having heated the milk, I burned myself.
The heating of the milk is presented as completed before I burned myself.
Al haberse portado tan mal, lo expulsaron del colegio.Because he had behaved so badly, he was expelled from school.
His bad behaviour is presented as an already completed cause of his expulsion.
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