French The Verb "to go"

Overview

The French verb aller means to go and is one of the most common verbs in the French language. The conjugation of aller in the present tense is: Je vais (I go), Tu vas (You go, familiar), Il, elle va (He, she goes), Nous allons (We go), Vous allez (You go, plural and formal), Ils, elles vont (They go). The verb aller is irregular in the present tense. Listen carefully to the pronunciation of the -s in the plural forms nous andvous forms. This -s is pronounced as a /z/ to link with the vowel sound in the plural forms allons and allez.

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July 18, 2023

Stephen Sovenyhazy

Aller, meaning “to go” is one of the most common verbs in French. It’s an irregular verb, meaning its conjugation is unique and doesn’t follow any specific grouping pattern. Aller is also used to describe the near future tense (You are going to do something).

Below is the conjugation chart for aller with example sentences:

Subject Pronoun	Aller	Meaning	Example	Translation
Je	vais	I am going	Je vais à la campagne.	I’m going to the countryside.
Tu	vas	You are going	Tu vas à la plage.	You are going to the beach.
Il/Elle/On	va	He/She/One is going	Elle va avec ses amis.	She is going with her friends.
Nous	allons	We are going	Nous allons à l’université en août.	We are going to college in August.
Vous	allez	You are allez	Vous allez à l’usine pour la journée.	You are going to the factory for the day.
Ils/Elles	vont	They are going	Ils vont en vacances à Nice pour une semaine.	They are going on vacation to Nice for a week.

Notes :

In the negative form, ne and pas must sandwich the conjugated verb in the sentence.

On ne va pas dans les rues après minuit.

One doesn’t go in the streets past midnight.

As we learn new verbs and begin to create more complex sentences, don’t forget the difference between Tu and Vous. Remember that Tu refers to one person in the informal speaking register; this means that the one person you are talking to is a friend, family member, or someone you speak regularly with. Vous is used in the formal register and is the go-to pronoun for a stranger, a work colleague, or an elder. It can also be plural when speaking to a group of people.
When practicing your pronunciation, create a liaison between Nous and allons, as well as between Vous and allez. This liaison will take a /z/ sound.

Highlighted Author:

Stephen Sovenyhazy

Stephen is the President of CORE Languages having founded the company in 2007. His focus is on empowering those with a need for community, culture and communication. For over a decade, CORE has helped businesses achieve their strategic international goals by empowering employees to learn and find joy in communicating in a new language and cultural context. With our online instructor-led courses, we now bring this to community members across the globe. A quote from Stephen. "When I started teaching, I sought to bring that same energy, dedication, and sense of purpose into my own classrooms. I founded CORE Languages to expand that vision, seeing the growing need for language training options designed to meet the unique needs of business environments. For over a decade, CORE has helped businesses achieve their strategic international goals by empowering employees to learn and find joy in communicating in a new language and cultural context. With our online instructor-led courses, we now bring this to community members across the globe. It’s a privilege to do what we do and share what we love with you.”

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Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

The CEFR is an international standard used to describe language ability. Here are specific details of the CEFR for this topic.

General Explanation:

Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.

Specific Capabilities at this Level

Writing:

I can write a short, simple postcard, for example sending holiday greetings. I can fill in forms with personal details, for example entering my name, nationality and address on a hotel registration form.

Spoken Production:

I can use simple phrases and sentences to describe where I live and people I know.

Spoken Interaction:

I can interact in a simple way provided the other person is prepared to repeat or rephrase things at a slower rate of speech and help me formulate what I’m trying to say. I can ask and answer simple questions in areas of immediate need or on very familiar topics.

Reading:

I can understand familiar names, words and very simple sentences, for example on notices and posters or in catalogues.

Listening:

I can recognize familiar words and very basic phrases concerning myself, my family and immediate concrete surroundings when people speak slowly and clearly.