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Aller Conjugation: How To Conjugate The Verb To Go In French

Aller Conjugation: How To Conjugate The Verb To Go In French

Aller conjugation in French

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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) and ils, elles vont (They go).

Aller - to go in French

Aller is also one of the top irregular verbs in French. This means that the conjugation pattern of aller in the present tense is different to other regular verbs in the -er verb category, such as parler (to speak).

Aller is used in sentences having to do with “going”, expression and greetings such as “ça va?” (How’s it going) and a future tense where it’s used as an auxiliary verb.

This post will provide the aller verb conjugation tables in all the major verb tenses including:

  • the present tense (le présent de l’indicatif)
  • past indefinite (passé composé), simple past (passé simple)
  • imperfect (imparfait)
  • pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
  • near future (futur proche)
  • future tense (futur simple)
  • past future (futur antérieur)
  • conditional (conditionnel)
  • past conditional (passé du conditionnel)
  • subjunctive, imperative (impératif)
  • subjunctive (subjonctif).

Aller also appears as a reflexive verb. “S’en aller” means to leave or to be on one’s way. This post will also explore the present tense conjugation of s’en aller and how to use this verb.

Aller (to go) conjugated in six tenses

Uses of aller

The verb aller appears in various expressions circumstances where you would not expect to see the verb “to go”.

Going places

The most basic and common usage of pertains to going places. Here are some examples.

  • Je vais à la piscine. I’m going to the pool.
  • Nous allons à la fête. We’re going to the party.
  • Vous allez au cinéma. You’re going to the movies.
Je vais à l'école. I go to school.

French greetings

Aller is used extensively in French greetings. In English, we use “How’s it going?” as a near equivalent. Here are the most common French greetings which use aller.

Near future tense

Aller is also used as an auxiliary (helping) verb to form the futur proche, or near future tense. This tense is considered a “compound tense” because it’s comprised of two components: a helping verb verb and an infinitive. The near future tense is the “going to” tense. Here are some examples.

  • Je vais dîner. I’m going to have dinner.
  • Elle va manger. She’s going to eat.
  • Ils vont voyager. They’re going to travel.

Clothing, accessories and jewelry

A less common usage of aller has to do with expressing how clothing, accessories and jewelry look on a person.

Go ahead

Aller is also used in the expression for “go ahead”.

  • Vas-y go ahead (singular, informal)
  • Allez-y go ahead (plural, formal)

Aller conjugation charts

The following aller conjugation tables contain all the commonly used verb tenses. We’ve provided many example sentences for teach tense.

Present tense aller

The following table shows aller conjugated in the present tense. In French, “Je vais” translates to “I go” and “I am going”.

Aller conjugation - present tenseEnglishExample sentenceEnglish
Je vais I goJe vais je vais à l'écoleI go to the school.
Tu vas You go (familiar)Tu vas au magasin. You go to the store.
Il, elle, on va He, she, one goesElle va au travail.She goes to work.
Nous allons We goNous allons au parc. We go to the park.
Vous allezYou go (plural, formal)Vous allez à la bibliothèque. You go to the library.
Ils, elles vont They goIls vont au restaurant. They go to the restaurant.
Aller (to go) conjugation chart in French in present tense.

Passé composé

When conjugated in the passé composé, aller uses the auxiliary verb être. This is because aller is an intransitive verb, meaning that the the subject and the object are one in the same.

This page explains the French passé composé in detail.

Aller passé composéEnglishFrench exampleEnglish
Je suis allé(e) I wentJe suis allé à l'université.I went to the university.
Tu es allé(e) (familiar)You wentTu es allé à Paris.You went to Paris.
Il, elle, on est allé(e)He she, one wentIl est allé au Canada.He went to Canada.
Nous sommes allé(e)sWe wentNous sommes allés au magasin. We went to the store.
Vous êtes allé(e)(s) (plural, formal)You wentVous êtes allés en France. You (plural) went to France.
Ils, elles sont allé(e)sThey wentElles sont allées au magasin.They went to the store.
Je suis allé(e) au cinéma. I went to the movies.

Simple past

The passé simple is a literary past tense that equates grammatically to the passé composé. While not necessary to memorize, it’s important to recognize the passé simple when reading.

For the purpose of reading literature, it’s important to recognize il/elle alla (he/she went) as well as ils/elles allèrent (they went).

Aller passé simpleEnglishFrench exampleEnglish
J'allai
I wentJ'allai avec vous. I went with you.
Tu allas (familiar)You wentTu allas à Lille.You went to Lille.
Il, elle allaHe, she wentElle alla à la banque. She went to the bank.
Nous allâmesWe wentNous allâmes au stade. We went to the stadium.
Vous allâtes (formal, plural)You wentVous allâtes au concert. You went to the concert.
Ils, elles allèrentThey wentIls allèrent en Pologne. They went to Poland.

Imperfect tense

In the imparfait (imperfect tense), j’allais translates to both “I used to go” and “I was going”. This is in contrast to the passe compose where “Je suis allé” indicates “I went” at a specific moment in time.

Aller imperfectEnglishFrench exampleEnglish
J'allaisI used to go, was goingJ'allais à l'église quand j'étais un enfant. I used to go to church when I was a child.
Tu allais (familiar)You used to go, were goingTu allais à l'école avec ton frère. You used to go to school with your brother.
Il, elle allaitHe, she, one used to go, was goingElle y allait trois fois par an. She used to go three times per year.
Nous allionsWe used to go, were goingNous allions en France aux années 80. We used to go to France in the 1980s.
Vous alliez (plural, fomral)You used to go, were goingVous alliez au restaurant avant la pandémie. You used to go to the restaurant before the pandemic.
Ils, elles allaientThey used to go, were goingIls y allaient de temps en temps. They used to go (there) from time to time.

Plus-que-parfait

The plus-que-parfait (pluperfect) is used to describe a past action that occurred prior to another past action.

For the verb aller, the plus-que-parfait is formed by combining the verb être in the imperfect with the past participle.

Hence, “J’étais allé(e)” means “I had gone” or “I’d gone”.

Aller plus-que-parfaitEnglishFrench exampleEnglish
J'étais allé(e)I had goneJe ne suis pas allé hier parce que j'étais allé mardi. I didn't go yesterday because I'd gone Tuesday.
Tu étais allé(e) (familiar)You had goneTu n'est pas allé à midi parce que tu étais allé ce matin.You didn't go at noon because you'd gone this morning.
Il, elle, on était allé(e)He, she, one had goneElle n'est pas aller en november parce qu'elle était allée en octobre. She didn't go in November because she had gone in October.
Nous étions allé(e)sWe had goneNous ne sommes pas allés en 2019 parce que nous étions allés en 2018. We didn't go in 2019 because we'd gone in 2018.
Vous étiez allé(e)(s) (plural, formal)You had goneVous n'êtes pas allé avec Marie parce que vous étiez allé avec Sylvie. You didn't go with Marie because you'd gone with Sylvie.
Ils, elles étaient allé(e)sThey had goneIls ne sont pas allés en 2005 parce qu'ils étaient allés en 2004.They didn't go in 2005 because they'd gone in 2004.

Le futur proche

The futur proche, or near future tense is used to express actions in the future which are expected to occur will occur with a high level of certainty.

The future proche is compound tense, meaning that it is formed with to components: The present tense of aller as an auxiliary (helping verb) plus the infinitive of aller.

Hence, “Je vais aller” translates to both “I’m going to go” and “I will go”.

Aller near futureEnglishFrench exampleEnglish
Je vais allerI'm going to goJe vais aller aux toilettes. I'm going go to the bathroom.
Tu vas aller (informal)You're going to goTu vas à la banque. You're going to go to the bank.
Il, elle, on va allerHe, she one is going to goElle va aller au magasin.She's going to go to the store.
Nous allons allerWe're going to goNous allons aller au concert.We're going to go to the concert.
Vous allez aller (plural, formal)You're going to goVous aller aller a l'école. You're going to go to school.
Ils, elles vont allerThey're going to goIls vont aller à l'église.They're going to go to church.
Je vais faire un voayge. I'm going to take a trip.

Simple future

The futur simple, or simple future is another French future tense. The difference between the futur simple and the futur proche is that the futur simple suggests a slightly less degree of certainty.

It is called the futur “simple” because it is only comprised of one word and not two like the futur proche.

To conjugated aller in the futur simple, add the appropriate endings to the irregular stem -ir.

Aller futur simpleEnglishFrench exampleEnglish
J'iraiI will goJ'irai en France. I will go to France.
Tu iras (familiar)You will goYou iras au Mexique.You will go to Mexico.
Il, elle, on iraHe, she, one will goElle ira au Japon. She will go to Japan.
Nous ironsWe will goNous irons à Chamonix. We will go to Chamonix.
Vous irez (plural, formal)You will goVous irez en Argentine. You will go to Argentina.
Ils, elles irontThey will goIls iront à Paris. They will go to Paris.

Futur antérieur

The futur antérieur or past future describes actions that will have occurred in the future. It is a compound tense, formed by combing être (to be) in the futur simple with the past participle of aller.

Hence, “Je serai allé(e)” means I would have gone.

Aller futur antérieurEnglishExample sentenceEnglish
Je serai allé(e)I will have goneJe serai allé avant 18h00. I will have gone before 6.00pm.
Tu seras allé(e) (familiar)You will have goneTu seras allé d'ici la fin du mois. You will have gone by the end of the month.
Il, elle, on sera allé(e)He, she, one will have goneIl sera allé avant Martin. He will have gone before Martin.
Nous serons allé(e)sWe will have goneNous serons allés avant l'autre famille. We will have gone before the other family.
Vous serez allé(e)(s) (plural, formal)You will have goneVous serez allés avant tout le monde.You will have gone before everybody.
Ils, elles seront allé(e)sThey will have goneIls seront allés avant Noël. They will have gone before Christmas.

Conditional

The conditionnel or conditional is used to describe hypothetical or “would” situations. It is formed by adding the conditional ending to the same -ir stem that is used for the futur simple.

“J’irais” translates to “I would go”. The conditional is often combined with the imperfect to form “if…then” scenario sentences.

For example, “J’irais en France si j’avais assez de temps.” (I’d go to France If I had enough time).

Aller conditionalEnglishExample sentenceEnglish
J'iraisI would goJ'irais au Canda si la frontière était ouverte.I would go to Canada if the border were open.
Tu irais (familiar)You would goTu irais au Japon si tu parlais le japonais.You would go to Japan if you spoke Japanese.
Il, elle, on iraitHe, she, one would goIl irait en Espagne s'il avait plus d'argent.He would go to Spain if he had more money.
Nous irionsWe would goNous irions avec vous mais ce n'est pas possible.We would go with you but it's not possible.
Vous iriez (plural, formal)You would goVous iriez au Québec mais il fait trop froid en ce moment.You would go to Quebec but it's too cold now.
Ils, elles iraientThey would goIls iraient avec nous mais nous ne partons pas.They would go with us but we are not leaving.

Past conditional

The passé du conditionnel or past conditional is used to express regrets for actions which did or did not happen.

It is formed by combining être in the present conditional as an auxiliary (helping) verb with the past participle of aller.

Hence, “Je serais allé(e)” means “I would have gone” and “Je ne serais pas allé(e)” means “I wouldn’t have gone”.

In the example sentences below, we combine the plus-que-parfait with the past conditional to create anteriority.

Aller past conditinalEnglishExample sentenceEnglish
Je serais allé(e)I would have goneJe serais allé si j'avais eu assez le temps.I would have gone if I'd had enough time.
Tu serais allé(e) (familiar)You would have goneTu serais allé si tu avais eu assez d'argent.You would have gone if you'd had enough money.
Il, elle serait allé(e)He, she would have goneIl ne serais pas allé s'il avait su la vérité.He wouldn't have gone if he'd known the truth.
Nous serions allé(e)sWe would have goneNous serions allés si avions eu une voiture. We would have gone if we'd had a car.
Vous seriez allé(e)(s) (formal, plural)You would have goneVous seriez allé si vous aviez eu un billet.You would have gone if you'd had a ticket.
Ils, elles seraient allé(e)sThey would have goneIls seraient allés s'ils avaient plus de temps libre.They would have gone if they'd had more free time.

Imperative

The imperatif or imperative is the tense that’s used for giving both positive and negative commands.

In addition to the context of actually “going”, the French use expressions with aller in the imperative to mean “go ahead”, as in “you go first” when speaking in a conversation or waiting in line.

We’ll see some example sentences with this usage in the table below. In the examples below “y” means there.

Affirmative imperative

Aller affirmative imperativeEnglishExampleEnglish
Va! (tu form, familiar)Go!Vas-y! Go ahead!
Allons! Let's go!Allons-y!Let's go
Allez! (plural, formal)Go!Allez-y!Go ahead!

Negative imperative

Aller negative imperativeEnglishExampleEnglish
Ne va pas! Don't go!N'y va pas!Don't go there!
N'allons pas! Let's not go!N'y allons pas!Let's not go there!
N'allez pas! Don't go!N'y allez pas! Don't go there!

Subjunctive

The subjonctif or subjunctive is used for expressing wish, emotions and doubts.

For example, “Je veux que tu ailles” means “I want you to go”. In this sentence, the verb “ailles” appears in the subjunctive form because 1) There are two subjects separated by “que” and 2) The sentence has an element of wish or desire.

Aller subjunctiveEnglishExample sentenceEnglish
que j'aillethat I goIl faut que j'aille en France. I have to go to France.
que tu ailles (familiar)that you goJe veux que tu ailles à Paris. I want you to go to Paris.
qu'il, elle aillethat he, she goesIl faut qu'elle aille avant nous.She has to go before us.
que nous allionsthat we goIls veulent que nous allions avant Noël.They want us to go before Christmas.
que vous alliez (formal, plural)that you goIl faut que vous alliez d'ici la fin de l'année.You need to go before the end of the year.
qu'ils, elles aillentThat they goNous voulons qu'ils y aillent avant nous. We want them to go there before us.
Je m'en vais. I'm off! I'm leaving!

Reflexive verb s’en aller

The reflexive verb s’en aller means to leave or to be off, or on one’s way. In spoken French, it’s often used in the present tense to announce departure.

In the the affirmative imperative s’en aller is used to mean “scram” or “get out of here”. For example, “Va t’en!” is “Scram!” in the familiar form and “Allez vous-en!” is “Scram!” in the plural or formal form.

S'en aller present tenseEnglishFrench exampleEnglish
Je m'en vaisI'm off, am leavingSalut tout le monde! Je m'en vais!Bye everybody! I'm leaving!
Tu t'en vas (familiar)You're off, are leavingPourquoi est-ce que tu e'en vas?Whey are you leaving?
Il, elle, on s'en vaHe, she, one is off, is leavingJe pense qu'elle s'en va. I think she's leaving.
Nous nous en allonsWe're off, are leavingC'est la fin de la soirée. Nous nous en allons. The evening is over. We're leaving.
Vous vous en allez (plural, formal)You're off, are leavingEst-ce que vous vous en allez?Are you leaving?
Ils, elles s'en vontThey're off, are leavingIls s'en vont avant nous. They're leaving before us.

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David Issokson

David Issokson is a lifelong language enthusiast. His head is swimming with words and sounds as he speaks over six languages. Of all the languages he speaks, he's the most passionate about French! David has helped hundreds of students to improve their French in his private online lessons. When procrastinating working on his site, FrenchLearner.com, David enjoys his time skiing and hiking in Teton Valley, Idaho.

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