The French words aussitôt and aussitôt que possible are used to express immediacy or promptness. While they share similarities with English terms like “immediately” and “as soon as possible,” their usage follows specific grammatical patterns in French.

1. “Aussitôt” (immediately, right away)

Aussitôt functions as an adverb meaning “immediately” or “right away.” It emphasizes that an action occurs without delay.

Usage examples:

• Il est parti aussitôt après le dîner. (He left immediately after dinner.)
• Elle a reconnu son erreur et s’est excusée aussitôt. (She recognized her mistake and apologized right away.)
• Aussitôt arrivé, il a appelé sa mère. (As soon as he arrived, he called his mother.)
• Le médecin est venu aussitôt. (The doctor came immediately.)

Fixed expressions with “aussitôt”:

• Aussitôt dit, aussitôt fait. (No sooner said than done.)
• Aussitôt après (Immediately after)

2. “Aussitôt que possible” (as soon as possible)

This phrase is a more urgent version of dès que possible and is used to request or indicate prompt action.

Usage examples:

• Répondez-moi aussitôt que possible. (Reply to me as soon as possible.)
• Je terminerai ce travail aussitôt que possible. (I will finish this work as soon as possible.)
• Veuillez envoyer les documents aussitôt que possible. (Please send the documents as soon as possible.)
• Nous réglerons ce problème aussitôt que possible. (We will resolve this issue as soon as possible.)

Comparison with “dès que possible”:

• Aussitôt que possible suggests greater urgency.
• Dès que possible is slightly more neutral but still prompt.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Incorrect: Je le ferai aussitôt. (Correct if meaning “I’ll do it right now,” but not for future actions.)
• Correct: Je le ferai aussitôt que possible. (I’ll do it as soon as possible.)