23 - How to Conjugate "to Go" (Aller) in French (Present Tense)

Do you know how to conjugate the verb 'aller' (to go) in French?🚶‍♂️ In this episode, we'll explore the present tense conjugation of 'aller,' one of the most commonly used French verbs!

After the lesson, head over to the French Made Easy Exercise Library to practice!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Transcript

Intro: Welcome to the French Made Easy podcast, where I give you all the basics you need to speak French clearly and confidently. I'm your host, Mathilde, and I'm a French teacher, mumpreneur, and bread and cheese lover. Join me as I dive into all things French for beginners, and deliver to you bite-sized and easy-to-follow lessons every Tuesday. Let's get started, "on commence"!

Bonjour à tous! 💕 Hi everyone! Welcome back to the French Made Easy podcast! This is episode number 23, numéro vingt-trois! Thanks for tuning in today. In this episode, you'll learn how to conjugate the French verb "aller" (to go) in the present tense! We'll first talk about the two different types of French verbs, then we'll dive straight into the conjugation of "aller," and then we'll see some examples.

Before we get started, please make sure you have your cheat sheet in front of you, so you can see how to words are written. Or, at least, check out the transcript! At the end of the episode, make sure you download your exercises, so you can put pen to paper and practice what you've learned. 

Vous êtes prêts? Are you ready? On y va. 

So, there are two types of verbs in French: regular verbs and irregular verbs. 

The regular verbs are regular because they follow the same pattern when they're conjugated. On the contrary, irregular verbs follow a different pattern when they're conjugated; that's why they are called irregular. 

So, we've seen two irregular verbs already in our lessons. We've learned "être" (to be) and "avoir" (to have.) If you want to know more about these verbs, check out episodes 15 (here) and 16 (here.)

Alright, "aller" (to go) is another irregular verb. It's often mistaken for a regular verb, because of its ending, but it's not! It's very irregular. And it's also a super common verb. 

So there's not much you can do but to learn this one by heart, "par coeur."

CONJUGATION

So let's see the present tense of "aller" (to go):

Répétez après moi, repeat after me. 

• je vais (I go or I'm going, same thing)

• tu vas (you go, or you're going, singular)

• il va (he goes)

• elle va (she goes)

• on va (we go, informal)

• nous allons (we go)

• vous allez (you go, plural)

• ils vont (they go, masculine)

• elles vont (they go, feminine)

Quick pronunciation note, make sure you use the "liaison" properly in the plural forms. 

→ It's "nous allons" not "nous allons." You've got to link the two words together with the "z" sound. 

→ It's also "vous allez" not "vous allez." Same here, you link the two words together with the "z" sound.

Now, if you're not too sure what the liaison is, you have to check out my course, French Pronunciation Kickstarter, where I teach you all the basic French pronunciation rules you need to know, without the extra complicated fluff. 

EXAMPLES

OK parfait. Now let's see some examples of the French verb "aller" conjugated in the present tense. 

Répétez après moi, repeat after me.

• Je vais au supermarché. (I go, or I'm going, same thing, to the supermarket.)

• Tu vas à la plage ? (Are you going to the beach?) 🏖

• Il va à la bibliothèque. (He's going to the library.) 📚

• Elle va à la piscine. (She's going to the pool.) 🏊‍♀️

• On va au restaurant. (We're going to the restaurant.)

• Nous allons au parc. (We're going to the park.)

• Vous allez où ? (Where are you going?)

• Ils vont au cinéma. (They're going to the movies.) 🍿

• Elles vont à l'école. (They're going to school.)

RECAP

Ok super! Now as usual let's recap what we've learned:

The conjugation of "aller" (to go) in the present tense is: 

• je vais 

• tu vas 

• il va 

• elle va 

• on va 

• nous allons 

• vous allez 

• ils vont

• elles vont

Alright... we're all done guys! On a fini! If you've liked this lesson, let me know and leave me a comment below! I'd love to hear from you! Don't forget to download your lesson's exercises. It's free! Thanks for your time.

Merci beaucoup et à bientôt. 💖