“Aller” – Conjugation of the French Verb

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One of the most fundamental verbs in French is “aller”, which means “to go.” Understanding how to conjugate “aller” is essential for anyone looking to speak and understand French fluently. In this article, we will explore the conjugation of the verb “aller” in various tenses and moods.

 

Present Tense (Présent)

The present tense in French is used to describe actions that are happening right now or habitual actions. Here's how “aller” is conjugated in the present tense:

1. Je vais – I go
2. Tu vas – You go (informal singular)
3. Il/elle/on va – He/she/one goes
4. Nous allons – We go
5. Vous allez – You go (formal singular/plural)
6. Ils/elles vont – They go

Example sentences:

– Je vais au cinéma ce soir. (I am going to the cinema tonight.)
– Elle va à l'école tous les jours. (She goes to school every day.)

 

Imperfect Tense (Imparfait)

The imperfect tense is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. To conjugate “aller” in the imperfect tense, follow these patterns:

1. J'allais – I was going
2. Tu allais – You were going (informal singular)
3. Il/elle/on allait – He/she/one was going
4. Nous allions – We were going
5. Vous alliez – You were going (formal singular/plural)
6. Ils/elles allaient – They were going

Example sentences:

– Quand j'étais jeune, j'allais souvent à la plage. (When I was young, I used to go to the beach often.)
– Ils allaient à la piscine tous les étés. (They would go to the swimming pool every summer.)

 

Future Tense (Futur Simple)

The future tense is used to express actions that will happen in the future. Conjugating “aller” in the future tense is relatively straightforward:

1. J'irai – I will go
2. Tu iras – You will go (informal singular)
3. Il/elle/on ira – He/she/one will go
4. Nous irons – We will go
5. Vous irez – You will go (formal singular/plural)
6. Ils/elles iront – They will go

Example sentences:

– L'année prochaine, je vais en France. (Next year, I will go to France.)
– Ils iront au restaurant ce soir. (They will go to the restaurant tonight.)

 

Conditional Mood (Conditionnel Présent)

The conditional mood is used to express hypothetical or uncertain actions. To conjugate “aller” in the conditional mood, use the following forms:

1. J'irais – I would go
2. Tu irais – You would go (informal singular)
3. Il/elle/on irait – He/she/one would go
4. Nous irions – We would go
5. Vous iriez – You would go (formal singular/plural)
6. Ils/elles iraient – They would go

Example sentences:

– Si j'avais de l'argent, j'irais en voyage. (If I had money, I would go on a trip.)
– Elle irait au concert si elle avait des billets. (She would go to the concert if she had tickets.)

 

Subjunctive Mood (Subjonctif Présent)

The subjunctive mood is used in situations of doubt, desire, or uncertainty. Conjugating “aller” in the subjunctive mood follows these patterns:

1. Que j'aille – That I go
2. Que tu ailles – That you go (informal singular)
3. Qu'il/elle/on aille – That he/she/one goes
4. Que nous allions – That we go
5. Que vous alliez – That you go (formal singular/plural)
6. Qu'ils/elles aillent – That they go

Example sentences:

– Il faut que j'aille à la banque demain. (I need to go to the bank tomorrow.)
– Elle souhaite que tu ailles à la fête avec elle. (She wishes that you go to the party with her.)

 

10 example sentences with the word “aller”

Here are 10 example sentences with the word “aller” in different grammatical tenses:

  1. Je vais au marché demain. (I am going to the market tomorrow.) – Present Tense
  2. Tu es allé(e) à la plage la semaine dernière. (You went to the beach last week.) – Past Tense
  3. Il ira à Paris l'année prochaine. (He will go to Paris next year.) – Future Tense
  4. Nous sommes en train d'aller à l'école. (We are going to school right now.) – Present Progressive
  5. Vous êtes allés en vacances cet été. (You went on vacation this summer.) – Past Tense
  6. Elle était allée chez le médecin hier. (She had gone to the doctor yesterday.) – Past Perfect
  7. On devrait aller au restaurant ce soir. (We should go to the restaurant tonight.) – Conditional Mood
  8. Que tu ailles à la fête dépend de ton emploi du temps. (Whether you go to the party depends on your schedule.) – Subjunctive Mood
  9. Ils allaient souvent à la bibliothèque quand ils étaient étudiants. (They used to go to the library often when they were students.) – Imperfect Tense
  10. Nous irions à la montagne si le temps était meilleur. (We would go to the mountains if the weather were better.) – Conditional Mood