In this French grammar lesson, you will learn about aller conjugation in the present tense.
In this lesson you will learn about:
- how aller is conjugated in French
- how aller is used in French
- how aller is pronounced in French
- how aller is used in sentences in French
- how you can quiz yourself on aller conjugation in the present tense
- how to practice with flashcards on aller conjugation in the present tense
- how and why you should use the courses of Language Atlas to learn French
Please refer to the French A1 Curriculum to get a better overview of French grammar, if you are curious about this fits in French A1.
By the end of the lesson you will know all about aller conjugation in the present tense!
Table of Contents
Aller Conjugation in the Present Tense
| je | vais |
| tu | vas |
| il/elle/on | va |
| nous | allons |
| vous | allez |
| ils/elles | vont |
Usage of Aller
This section on aller conjugation will show you how aller is used in French, as well as the rules for contractions.
Aller means “to go” and is an irregular verb.
Aller is used to indicate that one is going somewhere. This is similar to how “to go” is used in English.
Je vais à l’université.
I am going to university.
You may notice that after the “vais” there is the letter “à“.
This means “to”.
When you want to say that you are going somewhere you must use:
- aller + à
However, this “à” may change its form depending on which article comes after it.
There are three important rules to take into account when you want to use aller
- If the article after “à” is la then nothing changes.
la plage
the beach
Je vais à la plage
I am going to the beach
As you can see plage is feminine so it uses the article la.
à + la = à la
- If the article after “à” is le then this contracts to au.
le cinéma
the cinema
Je vais au cinéma ce soir
I am going to the cinema this evening
The noun cinéma is masculine in French so it takes the article le. As the article after “à” is le, it contracts to au.
à + le = au
- If the article after “à” is les then this transforms into aux.
les toilettes
the toilet
Je vais aux toilettes
I’m going to the bathroom
The noun toilettes is plural here so it takes the articles les. When “à” is followed by les, it transforms into aux.
à + les = aux
Here are the contractions again to have a better overview:
à + la = à la
à + le = au
à + les = aux
It is fine if you don’t remember everything at once.
As you proceed, you will encounter a lesson on contractions.
In that lesson this concept will be explained in much more detail.
For now all that matters is that you understand that contractions happen, if you want to say that you are going somewhere.
Pronunciation of Aller Conjugations
In this section on aller conjugation in the present tense we will focus on pronunciation.
There are 2 important rules to take into account when you want to pronounce an aller conjugation in the present tense.
- The tu and il/elle/on form of the verb have the same pronunciation. It is just the “va” part that gets pronounced.
Tu vas
Il va
These verbs are pronounced in the same exact way.
You don’t pronounce the letters in red.
- If the first letter of the verb is a vowel or a silent “h“, then you must perform a liaison. This happens in the nous, and vous form. This means that the final “s” of nous, and vous, will have a “z” sound.
Nous allons
Vous allez
Please note how the final “s” in all of the subject pronouns sounds like a “z”
Example Sentences with Aller Conjugations
The final section of this lesson on aller conjugation in the present tense is about seeing aller in action.
This is valuable because you can improve your understanding of aller conjugation in the present tense through examples.
Je vais à l’école.
I am going to school.
Je vais à la plage.
I am going to the beach.
Je vais à l’université.
I am going to the university.
Je vais au cinéma ce soir.
I am going to the cinema this evening.
Je vais aux toilettes.
I am going to the bathroom.
Où vas-tu ?
Where are you going?
On y va!
Let’s go!
Nous allons au zoo.
We are going to the zoo.
Vous allez maintenant ?
You are going now?
Ils vont au cinéma.
They are going to the cinema.
Quiz Yourself on Aller Conjugation in the Present Tense
At the end of every lesson you can do a small quiz.
You will see the sentences of the previous chapter.
You will either need to fill in the blanks, choose the correct multiple choice option, or both.
Once you are done the correct answer will be shown.
You can redo the quiz as many times as you want.
How to Practice With Flashcards for This Lesson
Using flashcards is an absolute necessity when it comes to learning a language!
It is the best way to memorize what you learn, you can personalize your progression because it adapts to your actions, and all flashcards have audio to improve your hearing and pronunciation.
Please read our article on how to learn a new language for more information on flashcards and the best way to learn a new language.
There are two ways to practice with Flashcards for this lesson.
- Anki
- The Flashcards in our Courses
Anki is a free software with which you can create and practice flashcards.
After you have downloaded Anki for free, you can get our French A1 Anki Deck.
This Anki Deck contains 3,764 flashcards with which you can practice absolutely everything for French A1.
All the flashcards have text, images, explanations, and audio.
You can also use our courses that have flashcards integrated alongside lessons with audio, quizzes and much more!
However, I am sure you are wondering, what are your courses, and why should I take them?
The Courses of Language Atlas
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