(do something) as soon as (something happens)

The phrase "as soon as" expresses something that happens immediately after something else:

He called as soon as he heard the news.

I went straight to sleep as soon as I got home.

Another way of expressing a similar idea is "when":

I'll start dinner when I finish writing this e-mail.

But you use "as soon as" to emphasize that you're doing it as quickly as you can. So this phrase is useful in situations where you're making an excuse for being late.

This phrase appears in these lessons: