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).
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 going | 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.
The verb aller is irregular in the present tense. Listen carefully to the pronunciation of the -s in the nous and vous forms. This -s is pronounced as a /z/ to link with the vowel sound in allons and allez.