French Grammar: How to conjugate "aller"

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

Present Tense (Présent)

• 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)

Simple Future (Futur Simple)

• 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)

Imperfect (Imparfait)

• 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)

Compound Past (Passé Composé)

"Aller" uses "être" as its auxiliary verb in compound tenses:

• Je suis allé(e) (I went)
• Tu es allé(e) (You went)
• Il est allé / Elle est allée / On est allé (He/She/One went)
• Nous sommes allé(e)s (We went)
• Vous êtes allé(e)(s) (You went)
• Ils sont allés / Elles sont allées (They went)

Remember, when using "être" as the auxiliary, the past participle (allé) must agree in gender and number with the subject.

Usage Examples

1. "Je vais au cinéma ce soir." (I'm going to the cinema tonight.)
2. "Nous sommes allés en France l'été dernier." (We went to France last summer.)
3. "Ils iront à la plage demain." (They will go to the beach tomorrow.)

Mastering the conjugation of "aller" is crucial for expressing movement and future actions in French. Practice these forms regularly to become more fluent in your French conversations.