All verbs

/ale/to goA1

Family
Fully irregular — a law unto itself
Takes
no object — No object — it takes a destination, and an infinitive to make the near future

Build map — what to memorise

These three pieces are learnt; every other tense is built from them.

The nous form
allons
Presentprésentlearn it whole

Singular — the short stem

Presentprésent1 exception(s)

Plural — the nous stem

all-+-ons -ez -ent

  • ils vontthe rule said allent
Imperfectimparfaitfollows the rule

all-+-ais -ais -ait -ions -iez -aient

Present participleparticipe-présentfollows the rule

all-+-ant

Subjunctivesubjonctif-présent4 exception(s)

Built on ils; nous and vous are the imparfait forms

vont-+-e -es -e -ent

  • je aillethe rule said vonte
  • tu aillesthe rule said vontes
  • il aillethe rule said vonte
  • ils aillentthe rule said vontent
Infinitive
aller
Simple futurefutur-simplestem changes

ir-+-ai -as -a -ons -ez -ont

Conditionalconditionnel-présentfollows the rule

Futur stem + imparfait endings

ir-+-ais -ais -ait -ions -iez -aient

Near futurefutur-prochefollows the rule

aller + infinitive

aller

Past participle
allé

Takes être

Passé composépassé-composéfollows the rule

être (present) + past participle, with agreement

allé

Pluperfectplus-que-parfaitfollows the rule

Auxiliary in the imparfait + past participle

allé

Conjugation

présent
Ije vais/ʒə vɛ/I go
youtu vas/ty va/you go
he/sheil va/il va/he goes
wenous allons/nuz alɔ̃/we go
youvous allez/vuz ale/you go
theyils vont/il vɔ̃/they go

Examples

  • Je vais au parc.

    /ʒə vɛ o paʁk/

    I'm going to the park.

  • Comment vas-tu ?

    /kɔ.mɑ̃ va.ty/

    How are you?

  • Nous allons en France.

    /nu.z‿a.lɔ̃.z‿ɑ̃ fʁɑ̃s/

    We're going to France.

Set phrases

  • aller bien

    to be well

  • aller mieux

    to be better

  • s'en aller

    to leave, to go away

Notes

  • aller is how French asks how you are — Comment allez-vous ? is literally "how do you go?". English uses "to be"; French uses this verb, and the answer is Je vais bien, never Je suis bien.

  • aller + infinitive is the near future: Je vais manger — I'm going to eat. Exactly like English. See futur-proche.