Prepositions of time (dès)

To indicate that an action starts "as early as," "starting from," or "right at" a specific moment, use the preposition dès followed by a noun. It emphasizes the very beginning of a timeframe or an early start.

You can pair dès with a specific time or part of the day:

Starting at dawn, the wholesaler is preparing the market hall.
Dès l'aube, le grossiste est en train de préparer la halle.
One must inspect the shipment as early as midnight.
Il faut inspecter l'arrivage dès minuit.
The morning bustle begins from the very first hour.
L'effervescence matinale commence dès la première heure.

It also works with nouns representing an event, such as an opening (l'ouverture) or an arrival (son arrivée):

The sellers are going to get busy starting at opening time to empty the pallet.
Les vendeurs vont s'activer dès l'ouverture pour vider la palette.
Right from his arrival in the market hall, the boss checked the shipment.
Dès son arrivée dans la halle, le patron a contrôlé l'arrivage.