The verb to go (aller)

The Verb aller (to go)

The verb aller (to go) is highly irregular in the present tense:

PronounFormTranslation
jevaisI go / am going
tuvasyou go / are going
il / elle / onvahe / she / one goes
nousallonswe go / are going
vousallezyou go / are going
ils / ellesvontthey go / are going

When expressing where you are going, use the preposition à (to). Remember that à combined with the masculine definite article le contracts to au (e.g., au cinéma). For feminine places, it remains à la (e.g., à la piscine). For indefinite destinations, you can simply use à une or à un (e.g., à une fête).

I am going to the movie theater tomorrow.
Je vais au cinéma demain.
She is going to the museum tonight.
Elle va au musée ce soir.
Are you going to the swimming pool with me?
Est-ce que tu vas à la piscine avec moi ?
We are going to a party tonight.
Nous allons à une fête ce soir.

Time Markers for Future Plans

French frequently uses the present tense to talk about the near future. Just add a time marker like demain (tomorrow), ce soir (tonight), or le week-end (on the weekend). These can be placed at the beginning or the end of the sentence.

Tomorrow, we are going to the countryside.
Demain, nous allons à la campagne.
Tonight, they are going to the stadium.
Ce soir, ils vont au stade.
They go to the countryside on the weekend.
Ils vont à la campagne le week-end.

Giving Reasons

To explain why you are going to a destination, you can use pour (for) followed by a noun, or parce que (because) followed by a full sentence.

We are going to the stadium for a game tomorrow.
On va au stade pour un match demain.
I am going to the restaurant because I am hungry.
Je vais au restaurant parce que j'ai faim.

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