Aller means “to go”. It is an irregular verb and one of the most useful in French. You need it to say where you are going, to talk about the near future, and to ask how someone is doing.
Present tense of aller
- je vais = I go / I am going
- tu vas = you go
- il / elle va = he / she goes
- nous allons = we go
- vous allez = you go
- ils / elles vont = they go
Saying where you are going
Use aller followed by a (+ article) or en for countries.
- Je vais au marche. = I am going to the market.
- Elle va a la plage. = She is going to the beach.
- Nous allons en France. = We are going to France.
- Tu vas au bureau ? = Are you going to the office?
The near future: aller + infinitive
This is one of the simplest ways to talk about future plans in French. Use aller + the infinitive of any verb.
- Je vais manger. = I am going to eat.
- Il va partir demain. = He is going to leave tomorrow.
- Nous allons apprendre le francais. = We are going to learn French.
Asking how someone is
Aller is used in the most common French greeting.
- Comment ca va ? = How are you? / How is it going?
- Ca va bien, merci. = I am fine, thank you.
- Ca ne va pas. = Things are not going well.
Negative form
- Je ne vais pas au travail aujourd’hui. = I am not going to work today.
- Il ne va pas mieux. = He is not better.
Final tip
The aller + infinitive construction is one of the first future tenses beginners should learn. It is used constantly in everyday conversation and is much simpler than the full future tense.
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