The French expression dès que is a common conjunction that means “as soon as.” The phrase combines dès, meaning “from” or “since,” and que, meaning “that” or “when.” Literally, it means “from the moment that.”

dès que is followed by a verb in the indicative mood, not the subjunctive, because it refers to a factual or expected event. The tense of the verb that follows depends on the time relationship between the two events. In general, both verbs are in the same tense if they refer to the future or to the past. If the first verb is in the future, the second verb is also in the future in French, even though English uses the present tense in the equivalent construction.

Examples in the present tense:

Dès que je le vois, je lui parle.
As soon as I see him, I talk to him.

Dès que tu arrives, on commence le repas.
As soon as you arrive, we start the meal.

Dès qu’il entend du bruit, il se lève.
As soon as he hears noise, he gets up.

Examples in the past tense:

Dès qu’elle a su la vérité, elle a pleuré.
As soon as she knew the truth, she cried.

Dès qu’on est sortis, il a commencé à pleuvoir.
As soon as we went outside, it started to rain.

Dès que j’ai reçu ton message, je t’ai répondu.
As soon as I received your message, I replied to you.

Examples referring to future events:

Je te téléphonerai dès que j’arriverai.
I will call you as soon as I arrive.

Nous partirons dès que le train sera prêt.
We will leave as soon as the train is ready.

Il te le dira dès qu’il le saura.
He will tell you as soon as he knows.

Sometimes, dès que can have a figurative sense of immediacy or emotional reaction. It often implies a strong link between two events, with a slight nuance of cause and effect.

Dès qu’on parle de politique, il s’énerve.
As soon as we talk about politics, he gets angry.

Dès qu’elle entend cette chanson, elle devient triste.
As soon as she hears that song, she becomes sad.

Dès que je pense à lui, j’ai le sourire aux lèvres.
As soon as I think of him, I smile.

Aussitôt que

Although dès que may seem similar to aussitôt que, the two are generally interchangeable in meaning and function. Both express immediacy, and both require the indicative mood. In formal or literary writing, aussitôt que may be slightly more elegant, but in everyday speech dès que is more common.