aller is an essential and highly irregular French verb meaning "to go." It describes movement, travel, and departure. It is also used as an auxiliary verb to form the near future tense, expressing actions that are about to happen. Because of its fundamental role in both literal and grammatical contexts, aller is among the most important verbs to master in French.
- aller means "to go," expressing physical movement or travel.
- It is irregular, so it doesn't follow standard conjugation patterns.
- aller is also used to form the near future tense (futur proche).
- Mastery of aller is essential for everyday conversation and grammar.
*aller* expresses movement and is used for the near future.
Conjugation of aller
Aller is very irregular. Here is the present tense conjugation, which looks quite different from regular verbs:
| Subject | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je | vais | I go / am going |
| Tu | vas | You go / are going |
| Il/Elle/On | va | He/She/One goes |
| Nous | allons | We go |
| Vous | allez | You (pl./formal) go |
| Ils/Elles | vont | They go |
The correct form is 'nous allons.'
*aller* is an irregular verb.
Near Future with aller
To say someone is going to do something, use aller + infinitive:
Formula: [subject] + [conjugated aller] + [infinitive verb]
- Je vais manger. (I’m going to eat.)
- Nous allons partir. (We’re going to leave.)
Use conjugated *aller* + infinitive.
Only base verbs like 'manger,' 'parler,' 'sortir' are used as infinitives.
Simple Past (Passé Composé)
Aller uses être as the auxiliary verb in the passé composé. The past participle must agree with the subject in gender and number.
- imparfait stem: all-
- past participle: allé (add e, s for agreement)
| Subject | Auxiliaire | Participe Passé | Exemple |
|---|---|---|---|
| Je | suis | allé(e) | Je suis allé(e) au parc. |
| Tu | es | allé(e) | Tu es allé(e) au cinéma. |
| Il/Elle | est | allé / allée | Il est allé ... / Elle est allée... |
| Nous | sommes | allés/allées | Nous sommes allés... |
| Vous | êtes | allé(s)(es) | Vous êtes allé(e)(s)... |
| Ils/Elles | sont | allés/allées | Ils sont allés... |
*aller* uses être as the auxiliary.
The past participle is 'allé.'
Examples in Context
- Present: Tu vas à l'école. (You go to school.)
- Near future: Elle va voyager. (She is going to travel.)
- Passé composé: Nous sommes allés au musée. (We went to the museum.)
- Negative present: Je ne vais pas bien. (I am not doing well / I don’t go well.)
- Question (inversion): Vas-tu au marché? (Are you going to the market?)
'Nous allons étudier' means 'We are going to study.'
'Je vais bien' and 'Ils vont partir' are correct; 'Nous allons mangé' and 'Tu allez' are incorrect.
Correct: 'Vous êtes allé(e)(s)'
Conclusion
aller - to go
- is an irregular verb essential for expressing movement and the near future.
- is conjugated uniquely: je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont.
- uses être as the auxiliary in passé composé (past participle: allé).