Level B2 (Upper Intermediate)
The French word of the day is dès (B2), a French preposition with meanings including “from”, “starting from” and “as soon as”.
dès – IPA pronunciation /dɛ/
“Dès” in French: Meanings & Usage Explained
Quick explanation
The downward slanting grave accent over the è distinguishes it from dès from des, which is the partitive article meaning ‘some’. For example, “Je voudrais des pâtes” (I’d like some pasta).
Example sentences with “dès”
Dès que + time word
For this first sentence, we’ve translated je suis (I am) in the present tense to “I’ll be”.
Je suis au régime dès demain !
I’ll be on a diet starting tomorrow!
Dès que
For this sentence, dès que can translate to ‘once’, ‘as soon as’ and ‘the minute’. Note that both clauses in this sentence require the usage for the simple future tense.
Je t’enverrai un texto dès que j’arriverai à l’aéroport.
I’ll send you an SMS as soon as I arrive at the airport.
For this sentence, dès que possible translates to ‘as soon as possible’. This sentence requires the usage of the subjunctive mood.
Je veux que tu finisses le projet dès que possible !
I want you to finish the project as soon as possible.
More usages of dès
Dès can precede many time-related words to mean ‘from’, ‘starting from’ ‘as early as’ and ‘since’.
- Dès maintenant from now on, immediately, right now
- Dès aujourd’hui starting today
- Dès + time (hour) or date from time/day
- Dès son arrivée / retour upon his arrival (or return)
- Dès le début from the beginning, from the start
- Dès le premier jour / moment from the first day (or moment)
Conjunctions “des lors” and “dès lors que”
The advanced (C1) conjunction dès lors means ‘from then on’, ‘from that moment on’, ‘therefore’ and ‘consequently’.
Marie a gagné au Loto, et dès lors sa vie a changé.
Marie won the lottery and from then on her life changed.
Dès lors que introduces a clause or condition and means ‘the moment’, ‘as soon as’, ‘from the moment that’ and ‘since’.
Dès lors qu‘il a commencé à pleuvoir, il y a eu une panne de courant.
For from the moment that it started raining, the electricity went off.
À partir de
Dès is somewhat synonymous with the preposition à partir de, which also means ‘starting from’.
Le musée est ouvert à partir de 10h00 (the museum is opened from 10am).
Le musée est ouvert dès 10h00.
Continue learning French!
Now that you’ve mastered dès, check our our lesson covering the useful conjunction lorsque (when) and the preposition depuis (since).
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