Question 1

Why is it à l' here instead of a combined word like au?

Accepted Answer

This lesson teaches that à + le makes au. However, université starts with a vowel, so its article becomes l' instead of le or la. The preposition à never merges with l', so they simply stay separate as à l'.

Question 2

Why isn't there a word for 'am' to make 'am going'?

Accepted Answer

French does not have a direct equivalent to the English 'am doing' form. The single phrase Je vais means both 'I go' and 'I am going'. You never need to add the French word for 'am' (suis) before an action verb like this.

Question 3

Can I use the present tense Je vais for something happening demain (tomorrow)?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Just like in English, you can use the present tense in French to talk about planned future events. Adding a time word like demain is enough to show that the action is happening in the future.

Question 4

Is the 's' at the end of vais silent here?

Accepted Answer

Not in this sentence. Usually, the 's' in vais is silent. But because the very next word (à) starts with a vowel, you link the words together when speaking. This connection is called a liaison, and it makes the 's' sound like a 'z' (pronounced roughly as 'vay-zah').

Je vais à l'université demain.

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