Conjugate aller in French: a guide

The French verb "aller" (to go) is one of the most important and frequently used verbs in the language. It's irregular, which means it doesn't follow standard conjugation patterns. Let's explore how to conjugate "aller" in various tenses and moods.

Present Tense (Présent)

The present tense conjugation of "aller" is:

• Je vais (I go)
• Tu vas (You go - singular, informal)
• Il/Elle/On va (He/She/One goes)
• Nous allons (We go)
• Vous allez (You go - plural or formal)
• Ils/Elles vont (They go)

Example: "Je vais au cinéma ce soir." (I'm going to the cinema tonight.)

Simple Future (Futur Simple)

The future tense uses the following stem: ir-

• J'irai (I will go)
• Tu iras (You will go)
• Il/Elle/On ira (He/She/One will go)
• Nous irons (We will go)
• Vous irez (You will go)
• Ils/Elles iront (They will go)

Example: "Nous irons en France l'année prochaine." (We will go to France next year.)

Imperfect (Imparfait)

The imperfect tense uses the stem all-

• J'allais (I was going)
• Tu allais (You were going)
• Il/Elle/On allait (He/She/One was going)
• Nous allions (We were going)
• Vous alliez (You were going)
• Ils/Elles allaient (They were going)

Example: "J'allais souvent au parc quand j'étais petit." (I often used to go to the park when I was little.)

Conditional (Conditionnel)

The conditional mood uses the same stem as the future tense: ir-

• J'irais (I would go)
• Tu irais (You would go)
• Il/Elle/On irait (He/She/One would go)
• Nous irions (We would go)
• Vous iriez (You would go)
• Ils/Elles iraient (They would go)

Example: "J'irais bien à la plage, mais il pleut." (I would like to go to the beach, but it's raining.)

Remember, "aller" is also used to form the near future tense (futur proche) when combined with an infinitive. For example: "Je vais manger" (I'm going to eat).

Practice these conjugations regularly, and you'll soon find yourself using "aller" with confidence in various contexts.