Learn French: Dès que les syndicats seront prêts, la négociation commencera. - As soon as the unions are ready, the negotiation will begin.

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.

What is the difference between dès que and quand?

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.

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

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".

How is the future tense formed for commencera?