  In models of coupled dark energy, in which a dark energy scalar field couples
to other matter components, it is natural to expect a coupling to the inflaton
as well. We explore the consequences of such a coupling in the context of
single field slow-roll inflation. Assuming an exponential potential for the
quintessence field we show that the coupling to the inflaton causes the
quintessence field to be attracted towards the minimum of the effective
potential. If the coupling is large enough, the field is heavy and is located
at the minimum. We show how this affects the expansion rate and the slow-roll
of the inflaton field, and therefore the primordial perturbations generated
during inflation. We further show that the coupling has an important impact on
the processes of reheating and preheating.
