aller conjugation
Aller means "to go". The present is je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont. The passé composé takes être: je suis allé. The imparfait is j'allais, the future j'irai and the subjunctive que j'aille. Aller plus a verb is also how French says "going to": je vais manger, I'm going to eat.
- Red pencil is what breaks the pattern, graphite is the normal endings.
- Tu vas and il va sound the same: vah.
aller — to go. Je vais.
Present (présent)
The everyday present: what you do, what's true, what's going on.
| Pronoun | aller | Say |
|---|---|---|
| je | vais | zhuh VEH |
| tu | vas | tew VAH |
| il / elle / on | va | eel VAH |
| nous | allons | noo za-LOHN |
| vous | allez | voo za-LAY |
| ils / elles | vont | eel VOHN |
Vas and va sound the same. Ça va? (how's it going?) is the one you'll say most, and ça va is also the answer.
Past (passé composé)
The everyday past, for things that happened: "I was", "I had". It's avoir or être plus the past participle.
| Pronoun | aller | Say |
|---|---|---|
| je | suis allé(e) | zhuh swee za-LAY |
| tu | es allé(e) | tew eh za-LAY |
| il / elle / on | est allé / allée | eel eh ta-LAY |
| nous | sommes allé(e)s | noo sum za-LAY |
| vous | êtes allé(e)(s) | voo zet za-LAY |
| ils / elles | sont allés / allées | eel sohn ta-LAY |
Aller takes être, not avoir: je suis allé, never j'ai allé. With être the participle agrees with whoever went, so a woman writes je suis allée, and a group writes allés. You can't hear the difference, it's only on paper.
Imperfect (imparfait)
The past for how things were or used to be: "I was tired", "we used to have a dog".
| Pronoun | aller | Say |
|---|---|---|
| je (j') | allais | zha-LEH |
| tu | allais | tew a-LEH |
| il / elle / on | allait | eel a-LEH |
| nous | allions | noo za-LYOHN |
| vous | alliez | voo za-LYAY |
| ils / elles | allaient | eel za-LEH |
Regular: all- plus the imparfait endings. J'allais à la plage tous les étés is "I used to go to the beach every summer". J'allais partir is "I was about to leave".
Future, conditional and subjunctive
"Will" and "would", plus the subjunctive: the form French uses after il faut que, je veux que and other wishes and doubts.
| Pronoun | Futur | Conditionnel | Subjonctif |
|---|---|---|---|
| je (j') | irai | irais | aille |
| tu | iras | irais | ailles |
| il / elle / on | ira | irait | aille |
| nous | irons | irions | allions |
| vous | irez | iriez | alliez |
| ils / elles | iront | iraient | aillent |
The future and conditional are built on ir-: j'irai à Paris (I'll go to Paris), j'irais bien (I'd happily go). The subjunctive aille sounds like eye: il faut que j'y aille, I have to go.
Participles
The "-ing" form (étant, being) and the past participle that makes the passé composé (été, been).
| Form | aller | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| present participle | allant | En allant au travail (on the way to work) |
| past participle | allé | Elle est allée au marché (she went to the market) |
Imperative (impératif)
Commands: telling someone to do something, or not to.
| Pronoun | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| tu | va | ne va pas |
| nous | allons | n'allons pas |
| vous | allez | n'allez pas |
Allez! is the cheer at every football match: come on! Before y, va picks up an s: vas-y, go on, go for it.
What aller does
| French | Means |
|---|---|
| je vais manger | I'm going to eat: aller + a verb, the everyday future |
| ça va? | how's it going? Aller for how you're doing |
| je vais bien | I'm fine (not "I go well") |
| ça te va bien | that suits you |
Je vais + verb is how people actually talk about the future. Je vais partir demain (I'm leaving tomorrow) is far more common in conversation than je partirai demain. If you only learn one future, learn this one: you already know vais.
- Looking a word up once doesn't mean you'll remember it. The verb you look up today is gone by tomorrow. The one that keeps showing up in stuff you'd read anyway, right when you're about to forget it, is the one that sticks.
- No streaks, no guilt. Kin tracks one number: how many words you've got in reach today. It drops when you take a break and comes back when you do.
Questions
Does aller take être or avoir in the passé composé?
Être: je suis allé, elle est allée, nous sommes allés. Never j'ai allé.
What is the future of aller?
J'irai, tu iras, il ira, nous irons, vous irez, ils iront. The stem is ir-.
What is the subjunctive of aller?
Que j'aille, que tu ailles, qu'il aille, que nous allions, que vous alliez, qu'ils aillent. Il faut que j'y aille means "I have to go".
What is the imparfait of aller?
J'allais, tu allais, il allait, nous allions, vous alliez, ils allaient.
How do you say "I'm going to" in French?
Je vais plus the verb: je vais manger (I'm going to eat), on va voir (we'll see). It's the most common way to talk about the future.
Keep going
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