preposition

dès

as soon as · from

Ce mot indique le moment où quelque chose commence, souvent utilisé pour parler du début d’une action ou d’un événement.

Definition & meaning

The word dès is a preposition used to indicate the starting point of an action or a state, emphasizing that it begins immediately at that specific moment. It is most commonly used in a temporal sense, but it can also be used spatially.

Temporal starting point: It is translated as "as soon as," "starting from," or "right from." It highlights the early onset of an event. For example, dès l'aube means "right from dawn."
Spatial starting point: It can indicate a starting position, meaning "from" or "starting at." For example, dès l'entrée means "right from the entrance."

It is frequently paired with the conjunction que to form dès que , which means "as soon as."

Grammar & Word origin

Grammatically, dès is a preposition. It is always followed by a noun, a pronoun, or an adverb of time or place.

It is important not to confuse dès (with a grave accent) with des. While dès is a preposition of time/place, des is either a plural indefinite article ("some") or a contraction of de + les.

The word originates from the Late Latin expression de-ex. This is a combination of the Latin prepositions de (from/concerning) and ex (out of/from). It appeared in Old French as des before the accent was eventually added to distinguish it from the article.

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

À partir de : This is the most common synonym, meaning "starting from."
Depuis : While "depuis" emphasizes duration or a state that continues, it can overlap with "dès" when referring to the starting point.
Sitôt : Often used in the phrase sitôt que as a synonym for dès que.

Antonyms

Jusqu'à : Meaning "until," it marks the end point rather than the beginning.
Tard : Meaning "late," serving as a conceptual opposite to the immediacy implied by "dès."
Après : Meaning "after," indicating a delay rather than an immediate start.