tan pronto como
conjunctionCEFR B1
What does “tan pronto como” mean in English?
as soon as — formal written register
as soon as — formal written register (tan pronto como + subjunctive when future)
Example sentences
Tan pronto como recibamos la confirmación del banco, procederemos a transferir los fondos.
As soon as we receive the bank confirmation, we will proceed to transfer the funds.
Tan pronto como terminaron las obras, los vecinos pudieron volver a sus viviendas sin ningún problema.
As soon as the works finished, the residents were able to return to their homes without any problems.
Les informaremos tan pronto como tengamos noticias del estado de la solicitud.
We will inform you as soon as we have news about the status of the application.
How to use it
Tan pronto como means 'as soon as' and applies the same tense-based mood rule as en cuanto: subjunctive for future/hypothetical events, indicative for completed past or habitual events. 'Tan pronto como sepamos el resultado, os informaremos' (future → subjunctive) vs 'Tan pronto como supimos el resultado, os informamos' (past → indicative). Tan pronto como is more formal and written than en cuanto and is especially common in official communications and journalism.
Common mistake
Tan pronto como follows the same subjunctive/indicative mood rule as en cuanto — future reference requires subjunctive, past reference uses indicative. It is interchangeable with en cuanto but belongs to a more formal register. Learners sometimes mix up tan pronto como (as soon as) with cuanto antes (as soon as possible / ASAP) — these are different expressions.