Learn How to Conjugate the French Verb 'Aller'

The French irregular verb aller ("to go") is one of the most frequently used of all French verbs.

Pronunciation

Be very careful about the pronunciation of this verb. In more formal French, there are many liaisons in the spoken conjugation, such as:

• Nous allons is pronounced Nous Z-allons.
• Vous allez is pronounced Vous Z-allez.

One common mistake that beginners make is mistakenly saying, Je va instead of Je vais. To master the use of aller as a French person would, both in terms of pronunciation and speed, try training with audio recordings.

Compound Tenses

Some verbs also use the auxiliary verb être to form their passé-composé (past compound) and other compound tenses. That's the case with aller, and it doesn't translate literally in English.

• Je suis allé(e) = I went, I did go, I have gone

This is something quite difficult to master for English speakers, so make sure you study this thoroughly.

Agreement

Why do we write allé, allée, allés or allées? The answer: Because it takes être as an auxiliary verb, the past participle allé agrees with the subject, just as an adjective would.

• Anne est allée. (Anne is a girl; add an e for the feminine.)
• Pierre et Paul sont allés. (Masculine plural; add an s to the main verb.)
• Anne et Marie sont allées. (Feminine, so add an e; plural, so add an s.)

Note that any extra E or S will be silent, therefore allé is always pronounced the same, as for aller and allez.

Conjugated in the Indicative Mood

Conjugated in the Subjunctive Mood

Pronunciation Tips

The words j'aille, tu ailles, il aille, and ils aillent are all pronounced like "eye" in English. 

• J'aille = j eye
• Tu ailles = tu eye
• Il aille = il eye
• Ils aillent = ils Z-eye

Note that nous allions and vous alliez keep their al sound.

Conjugated in the Imperative Mood 

Infinitive Mood

Participle Mood

Idiomatic Expressions

Aller is used with many expressions. Here are some examples:

• J'y vais. = I'm going.
• Allons-y. = Let's go.
• On y va ? = Shall we go?
• Aller en voiture = To go by car
• Ça va ? Comment allez-vous ? Comment vas-tu ? = How are you?
• S'en aller = to go away
• Aller chercher = to go get, to get, to fetch

Near Future Tense

When we talk about an event that is very close in time, or almost certain to happen, we use the futur proche (near future) tense, as in these examples: 

• Dans deux semaines, je vais rentrer chez moi. = In two weeks I'll go home. (close in time)
• Je suis enceinte. Dans six mois, je vais avoir un bébé. = I'm pregnant. I'll have a baby in six months. (it's almost certain).

How to Memorize Conjugations

Concentrate on the most useful tenses (présent, imparfait, passé composé), get used to using them in context. Then once you've mastered them, move on to the rest. As with any new language, practice makes perfect. There are many liaisons, elisions, and modern glidings used with French verbs, and the written form may mislead you into using the wrong pronunciation. If you don't have a study partner to practice with, an audio guide is the next best thing. You'll learn how to conjugate verbs properly and pronounce them correctly.​