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Spanish (Latin America)

### Anticipating future events with "As soon as"

When you talk about an action that will happen immediately after another event *in the future*, Spanish requires the present subjunctive for the anticipated event. Because the event hasn't happened yet, it is treated as pending or uncertain.

To say "as soon as", you can use the phrase **en cuanto**. When talking about a future sequence, you will pair **en cuanto** + [present subjunctive] with a main clause describing a future action (such as *ir a* + infinitive, or a future tense).

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### Using "Apenas"

Another very common way to say "as soon as" is **apenas**. It works exactly the same way as **en cuanto**: when referring to a future sequence of events, follow **apenas** with the present subjunctive. 

Notice that the "as soon as" clause can come at the beginning of the sentence or in the middle. When it comes first, it is usually followed by a comma.

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### Using "Tan pronto como"

Finally, you can use the phrase **tan pronto como**, which translates directly to "as soon as". Just like the other two phrases, it takes the present subjunctive when describing future actions. 

**En cuanto**, **apenas**, and **tan pronto como** are completely interchangeable in these everyday scenarios, making them perfect for coordinating your daily routine.

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As soon as (en cuanto, apenas, tan pronto como)

adjective

adverb

auxiliary verb

conjunction

determiner

expression

interjection

noun

numeral

prep

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Definite articles and 'to be' (el, la, soy)

Masculine and feminine pairs (el hermano, la hermana)

Basic sentences and negation (no)

Indefinite articles (un, una)

Formal and informal you (tú vs. usted)

Plural pronouns and the verb to be (somos, son)

Making nouns plural (-s, -es)

Plural articles (los, las, unos, unas)

Noun gender exceptions

Adjective agreement

Invariable adjectives

State and location (estar)

Ser vs. estar

There is / there are (hay)

Hay vs. estar

To have (tener)

Possession (de)

Possessive adjectives (mi, tu, su)

Regular -ar verbs

Yes/No questions

What and who (qué, quién)

Regular -er verbs

Regular -ir verbs

Asking where (dónde, adónde)

How, when, and why (cómo, cuándo, por qué)

How much and how many (cuánto)

Days of the week

Going to a place (ir a)

Preposition contractions (al, del)

In and by (en)

With me and with you (conmigo, contigo)

Prepositional pronouns (mí, ti)

Conjunctions (y, o, pero)

Giving reasons (porque)

Stem-changing verbs (e to ie)

Stem-changing verbs (o to ue)

Stem-changing verbs (e to i)

Irregular yo forms (hago, salgo)

To know (saber vs. conocer)

Weather expressions (hace, está)

Desires and plans (querer)

Ability and requests (poder)

Obligations (tener que)

Expressing likes (me gusta)

Plural likes (me gustan)

Verbs like gustar (encantar, doler)

Very vs. a lot (muy, mucho)

Numbers 0 to 15 (cero, uno, dos…)

Numbers 16 to 31 (dieciséis, veinte…)

Numbers 30 to 1000 (treinta, cien, mil)

Months of the year (enero, febrero, marzo)

Seasons and dates (el dos de mayo)

Telling time (es la..., son las...)

Ordinal numbers 1st to 10th (primero, segundo, tercero)

Reflexive pronouns and verbs (me, te, se, nos)

Direct object pronouns (lo, la, los, las)

The near future (ir a)

The present continuous (estar + -ando, -iendo)

Near demonstrative adjectives (este, esta, estos, estas)

Medium demonstrative adjectives (ese, esa, esos, esas)

Comparatives of inequality (más / menos ... que)

Comparatives of equality (tan ... como)

Indefinite and negative pronouns (algo, nada, alguien, nadie)

Affirmative commands

Far demonstratives (aquel, aquella)

Possessive pronouns (el mío, el tuyo)

Shortened indefinite adjectives (algún, ningún)

Adverbs of quantity (demasiado, bastante)

Adverbs of frequency (a menudo, a veces)

Adverb formation (-mente)

Exclamations (¡Qué...!)

Irregular comparatives (mejor, peor, mayor, menor)

Relative superlatives (el más... de)

Adjective intensification (-ísimo)

Indirect object pronouns

Pronoun placement with infinitives

Double object pronouns (me lo, te la)

The 'se lo' rule (se lo, se la)

Impersonal statements (se)

Impersonal obligation (hay que)

Personal obligation (deber)

Starting actions (empezar a)

Finishing and quitting actions (terminar de, dejar de)

Repeating actions (volver a)

Continuing actions (seguir + gerundio)

Question	Answer
the working day	la jornada
the pending task	el pendiente
I am going to check those pending tasks as soon as my workday finishes.	En cuanto termine mi jornada, voy a revisar esos pendientes.
It is necessary that you rest as soon as this long workday finishes.	Es necesario que descanses en cuanto termine esta jornada larga.
to lie down	recostarse
the slipper	la pantufla
I am going to lie down on the sofa as soon as I find my slippers.	Me voy a recostar en el sofá en cuanto encuentre mis pantuflas.
to take off (clothing)	quitarse
As soon as you take off your shoes, I am going to give you the slippers.	En cuanto te quites los zapatos, te voy a dar las pantuflas.
the shower	la ducha
As soon as he takes off his coat, he is going to go to the shower.	Apenas él se quite el abrigo, va a ir a la ducha.
It is better that we talk about the pending tasks as soon as I get out of the shower.	Es mejor que hablemos de los pendientes apenas yo salga de la ducha.
the microwave	el microondas
As soon as she arrives, she is going to heat the soup in the microwave.	Apenas ella llegue, va a calentar la sopa en el microondas.
the stove	la estufa
We are going to heat the dinner on the stove as soon as the water boils.	Vamos a calentar la cena en la estufa apenas hierva el agua.
As soon as you turn on the stove, I am going to use the microwave.	Tan pronto como prendas la estufa, voy a usar el microondas.
the delivery person	el repartidor
As soon as the delivery person brings the food, I am going to serve it to you.	Tan pronto como el repartidor traiga la comida, se la voy a servir a ustedes.
I have been waiting two hours for the delivery person, but I am going to eat as soon as he arrives.	Llevo dos horas esperando al repartidor, pero voy a comer tan pronto como llegue.
I am going to lie down as soon as the delivery person delivers the package.	Me voy a recostar tan pronto como el repartidor entregue el paquete.
to defrost	descongelar
As soon as I finish work, I will defrost the dinner.	En cuanto termine el trabajo, descongelaré la cena.
the leftover	la sobra
As soon as you arrive, we will defrost the leftovers.	Tan pronto como llegues, descongelaremos las sobras.
As soon as I get home, I will rest, even if it is early.	Tan pronto como llegue a casa, descansaré, aunque sea temprano.
As soon as you wash your clothes, I will wash mine.	En cuanto laves tu ropa, yo lavaré la mía.
everyday	cotidiano
As soon as you arrive, we are going to start the everyday routine.	En cuanto llegues, vamos a empezar la rutina cotidiana.
once, as soon as	una vez que
Once you finish, let me know.	Una vez que termines, avísame.
Once he arrived, everything changed.	Una vez que llegó, todo cambió.
As soon as the daily workday ends, I will eat the leftovers.	En cuanto termine la jornada cotidiana, comeré las sobras.

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