Question 1

Why does the French sentence use the future tense seront when the English translation says "are ready"?

Accepted Answer

In English, we use the present tense after time words like "as soon as" or "when" to talk about the future. However, French is more strictly logical: if the action happens in the future, you must use the future tense. After time phrases like dès que, quand, and lorsque, always use the future tense for future events.

Question 2

What is the difference between dès que and quand?

Accepted Answer

Dès que translates to "as soon as," while quand simply means "when." You use dès que to emphasize that the second action (la négociation commencera) will happen immediately after the first condition is met.

Question 3

Why is there an "s" at the end of prêts?

Accepted Answer

Prêts is an adjective describing les syndicats (the unions). Because un syndicat is a masculine noun and it is plural here, the adjective must match it by taking the masculine plural form, which means adding an "s".

Question 4

How is the future tense formed for commencera?

Accepted Answer

For regular verbs ending in "-er" like commencer, the future tense is built by taking the full infinitive word (commencer) and adding the future endings. Since la négociation acts as an "it/she" subject, you add the "il/elle/on" ending "-a" to get commencera.

Dès que les syndicats seront prêts, la négociation commencera.

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