The French verb aller (to go) is key to understanding and communicating in French. Not only will you be able to talk about your daily itinerary and travels, but aller also combines with other infinitives to help you express your near future plans.
Allons-y ! (Let’s go!) Learning the forms of aller in a wide variety of tenses will supercharge your ability to read, write, and converse in French.
Table of Contents
What does aller mean?
Before getting into specific French verb conjugation, begin with the infinitive, or unconjugated form. The infinitive aller means “to go” in English. You’ll find that the infinitive is common after phrases like “I want” or “I like” and other conjugated phrases. Aller is the form you will often see in the dictionary or vocabulary lists, too.
- Où voulez-vous aller ? = Where do you want to go?
- Je veux aller à l’hôtel. = I want to go to the hotel.
When you conjugate aller, the exact translation in English will change slightly depending on the French verb tense and the subject. Because it’s often irregular, aller frequently has a different conjugation than other -ER verbs in French. Right away, you’ll notice that some common forms don’t even begin with the same letter.
- Je vais à la plage. = I’m going to the beach. (present tense)
- Je suis allé à la plage. = I went to the beach. (past tense)
- J’irai boire un café. = I will go to drink a coffee. (future tense)
The following aller verb conjugation charts will cover the main French verb tenses that you’ll use on a regular basis.
How to conjugate aller in the present tense
Need to talk about plans or schedule for the day? The present tense of aller is used to talk about where someone goes or where someone is going. It can be followed by a specific place, whether that’s a French word for a place in the city, or a proper noun like a city name.
- Elle va au café. = She goes to the cafe.
- On va à New York ensemble. = We’re going to New York together.
aller – to go
| French Present Tense | English |
| je vais | I go/am going |
| tu vas | you go/are going (singular/informal) |
| il/elle vaon va | he/she goes/is goingwe go/are going (informal) |
| nous allons | we go/are going |
| vous allez | you go/are going (plural and/or formal) |
| ils/elles vont | they go/are going |
The forms of aller do not follow regular patterns in the French present tense, but in time, you’ll learn to associate the forms that match each subject.
Use the present tense of aller plus an infinitive to express near future events
Now that you know the present tense aller verb conjugation in French, you’re in luck, because all you have to do is add another verb infinitive, and you’re able to say what someone is going to do.
This is called the futur proche (near future), and it’s one of the simplest ways to use verbs as you’re learning them, even if you’re not yet confident with their individual conjugations.
- Je vais appeler le médecin. = I’m going to call the doctor.
- Qu’est-ce que tu vas préparer pour la fête ? = What are you going to prepare for the party?
- Il va neiger demain. = It’s going to snow tomorrow.
- Qu’est-ce qu’on va faire demain ? = What are we going to do tomorrow?
- Demain, nous allons étudier les sciences. = Tomorrow, we are going to study Science.
- Qu’est-ce que vous allez étudier ? = What are you going to study?
- Ils vont bientôt se marier. = They’re going to get married soon.
You can even use the verb aller twice in a row, conjugating the first time only, to say that someone is “going to go” in French conjugation somewhere in the near future.
- Je vais aller au supermarché. = I’m going to go to the supermarket.
Past tense aller conjugations tell where you went
After a busy day of sightseeing, you’ll want to tell the story of where you went and anything that happened to you while you were on your way. There are multiple aller conjugation charts for the past timeframe in French that will be essential for narrating and describing in the past.
The two main tenses, the passé composé (perfect/composed past) and the imparfait (imperfect), are a good place to start.
Use the passé composé for specific completed events
To say that you went somewhere, referring to one specific time, use the passé composé in French. This is the equivalent of “went.”
- Jeudi, je suis allé à la banque. = Thursday, I went to the bank.
- Vendredi, je suis allée à la bibliothèque. = Friday, I went to the library.
There are two parts to this tense and a few steps to follow.
- Begin with the present tense of être (to be) as an auxiliary, or “helping” verb.
- Use the past participle allé.
- Add letters to match, or “agree” the past participle in both gender and in number with the subject.
- add “e” for feminine subjects
- add “s” for plural subjects
aller – to go
| French Passé Composé Tense | English |
| je suis allé/allée | I went |
| tu es allé/allée | you went (singular/informal) |
| il est alléelle est alléeon est allé | he wentshe wentwe went (informal) |
| nous sommes allés/allées | we went |
| vous êtes allé/allée/allés/allées | you went (plural and/or formal) |
| ils sont alléselles sont allées | they went |
In the chart above, notice that the ending of the past participle depends on the subject. For example, vous can refer to one person formally or more than one person, giving you four spelling possibilities.
- one man: allé
- one woman: allée
- multiple men and boys or a mixed group: allés
- a group of only women and girls: allées
There is no difference in pronunciation since both the “e” and the ending “s” are silent in these cases.
Use the imparfait to say where you used to go or where you were going
The second main past tense in French is l’imparfait (the imperfect tense). Mastering passé composé vs. imparfait takes some effort and a lot of exposure to authentic French, but to use aller in the imperfect, think of these situations.
- I used to go (repeatedly)
- J’allais à l’école en bus quand j’étais petite. = I used to go to school on the bus when I was small.
- I was going (I was on my way when something else happened)
- J’ai perdu mon sac à main pendant que j’allais au supermarché. = I lost my handbag while I was going to the supermarket.
aller – to go
| French Imperfect Tense | English |
| j’allais | I used to go/was going |
| tu allais | you used to go/were going (singular/informal) |
| il/elle/on allait | he/she used to go/was goingwe used to go/were going (informal) |
| nous allions | we used to go/were going |
| vous alliez | you used to go/were going (plural and/or formal) |
| ils/elles allaient | they used to go/were going |
The endings for the French imparfait will be helpful later on when you learn the conditional tense.
The imperfect of aller plus infinitive tells what you were going to do
Even the best laid plans get derailed sometimes. You can use a very similar structure to the futur proche to tell what you were going to do. This time use the imperfect of aller followed by an infinitive.
- J’allais dessiner la cathédrale… = I was going to draw the cathedral…
- J’allais peindre une pomme… = I was going to paint an apple…
The French future tense of aller
How will you use your French in the future? Mastering French goes hand-in-hand with setting goals and making plans for travel, work, friendships, and more. Talk about your future plans using the aller conjugation in the French futur simple (simple future tense).
- S’il pleut, je n’irai pas, mais s’il ne pleut pas, j’irai. = If it rains, I won’t go, but if it doesn’t rain, I will go.
Form this with the irregular stem ir- plus the future tense endings.
aller – to go
| French Future Tense | English |
| j’irai | I will go |
| tu iras | you will go (singular/informal) |
| il/elle/on ira | he/she will gowe will go (informal) |
| nous irons | we will go |
| vous irez | you will go (plural and/or formal) |
| ils/elles iront | they will go |
Use aller in the conditional to say where someone would go
The conditional tense (or mood) is helpful to say where someone would go if certain conditions were true. It’s helpful for dreaming about hypothetical situations.
- Si j’étais riche, j’irais dans tous les pays du monde. = If I were rich, I would go to every country in the world.
The conditional is formed with the stem ir- (the same stem as the futur simple) and the same endings as the imparfait (imperfect) tense.
aller – to go
| French Conditional | English |
| j’irais | I would go |
| tu irais | you would go (singular/informal) |
| il/elle/on irait | he/she would gowe would go (informal) |
| nous irions | we would go |
| vous iriez | you would go (plural and/or formal) |
| ils/elles iraient | they would go |
Subjunctive of aller
The subjunctive mood isn’t known for being a beginner tense, but you can begin to recognize the aller conjugation associated with it. French speakers will use the subjunctive mood when expressing wishes and desires, certain kinds of judgements, doubts, and refusals.
- Il faut que j’aille. = It’s necessary that I go.
- Je ne crois pas qu’ils aillent. = I don’t believe that they go.
aller – to go
| French Present Subjunctive | English |
| j’aille | I go |
| tu ailles | you go (singular/informal) |
| il/elle/on aille | he/she goeswe go (informal) |
| nous allions | we go |
| vous alliez | you go (plural and/or formal) |
| ils/elles aillent | they go |
Command forms of aller
There are many ways to suggest that someone go, such as Tu veux aller… ? (Do you want to go…?) or Pourrais-tu aller… ? (Could you go…?). But if you just want to get right to the point, you can use the French imperative. There are only three forms, which depend on who you are addressing your “command” form to.
aller – to go
| French Imperative | Use |
| Va ! | with tu (singular, impersonal you); talking to one person |
| Allons ! | with nous (first person plural); yourself and at least one other person |
| Allez ! | with vous (plural and/or formal you); talking to one person formally or a group of people |
There are a few idiomatic uses of these commands.
- Va-t’en !/Allez-vous-en ! = Go away! Scram!
- Vas-y !/Allons-y !/Allez-y ! = Go! Let’s go! Let’s do it! (Cheers of encouragement)
Advanced aller conjugations in French
You are now able to function in all three main timeframes (past, present, and future) as well as the subjunctive, and you might want to refine your speech even more using compound tenses.
Just as the present tense of être is used as an auxiliary verb in the passé composé, different tenses of être combine with the past participle allé for additional tenses.
Le plus-que-parfait (the pluperfect)
Use the imperfect form of être and the past participle allé for a tense that tells where someone had already gone before something else occurred. This is helpful to put activities in order in a past timeframe. Don’t forget to add “e” and/or “s” as needed for the past participle to agree.
- J’étais allée au parc quand il est arrivé. = I had gone to the park when he arrived.
aller – to go
| French Plus-que-parfait Tense | English |
| j’étais allé/allée | I had gone |
| tu étais allé/allée | you had gone (singular/informal) |
| il était alléelle était alléeon était allé | he had goneshe had gonewe had gone (informal) |
| nous étions allés/allées | we had gone |
| vous étiez allé/allée/allés/allées | you had gone (plural and/or formal) |
| ils étaient alléselles étaient allées | they had gone |
Le futur antérieur (the future perfect)
Use the simple future form of être and the past participle allé for a tense that tells where someone will have gone before something else happens. Don’t forget to add “e” and/or “s” as needed for the past participle to agree.
- Je serai allé au café quand tu te réveilleras. = I will have gone to the coffee shop when you wake up.
aller – to go
| French Futur Antérieur Tense | English |
| je serai allé/allée | I will have gone |
| tu seras allé/allée | you will have gone (singular/informal) |
| il sera alléelle sera alléeon sera allé | he will have goneshe will have gonewe will have gone (informal) |
| nous serons allés/allées | we will have gone |
| vous serez allé/allée/allés/allées | you will have gone (plural and/or formal) |
| ils seront alléselles seront allées | they will have gone |
Past subjunctive
In past tense structures where the subjunctive mood is required, you may encounter the subjunctive form of être as the helping verb.
- Je doute qu’il soit allé. = I doubt he went.
- C’était dangereux que j’y sois allée seule. = It was dangerous that I went alone.
aller – to go
| French Past Subjunctive | English |
| je sois allé/allée | I went |
| tu sois allé/allée | you went (singular/informal) |
| il soit alléelle soit alléeon soit allé | he wentshe wentwe went (informal) |
| nous soyons allés/allées | we went |
| vous soyez allé/allée/allés/allées | you went (plural and/or formal) |
| ils soient alléselles soient allées | they went |
Le passé simple
If you read literature, even children’s books and stories, listen to speeches, or read historical texts, you’ll possibly encounter the passé simple (simple past) where you expected to read the passé composé form. This is a formal literary tense that is rarely spoken but worth noticing when it comes up in authentic examples.
| French Passé Simple Tense | English |
| je allai | I went |
| tu allas | you went (singular/informal) |
| il/elle/on alla | he/she wentwe went (informal) |
| nous allâmes | we went |
| vous allâtes | you went (plural and/or formal) |
| ils/elles allèrent | they went |
Key takeaways about aller conjugations in French
Aller is one of the most useful and high-frequency verbs as you learn French. Have patience while you’re learning, and remember these key features.
- Aller is often irregular, so it won’t follow the typical -ER verb patterns.
- In compound tenses, such as the passé composé, use the auxiliary verb être.
- The past participle allé will often require an additional “e” and/or “s” at the end for gender and number agreement.
- Combine aller with an infinitive to express a near future event.
0 Commentaires