Nous allons au théâtre ce soir.

We are going to the theater tonight.

Breakdown of Nous allons au théâtre ce soir.

• nous: we
• aller: to go
• ce soir: tonight
• le théâtre: the theater
• au: for

Questions & Answers about Nous allons au théâtre ce soir.

What does nous allons literally mean, and what tense is it?

Nous allons is the present tense of the verb aller (to go).

• nous = we
• allons = (we) go / are going

So nous allons literally means we go or we are going.

Even though it’s present tense, when you add a time expression like ce soir (this evening / tonight), in natural English you usually translate the whole sentence as We’re going to the theater tonight.

Could this sentence also mean a future action, like “We will go to the theater tonight”?

Yes. In French, the present tense is very often used to talk about the near future when there’s a time expression:

• Nous allons au théâtre ce soir.
  → We’re going to the theater tonight. (a planned future action)

If you really want to emphasize the future as a separate tense, you could use the simple future:

• Nous irons au théâtre ce soir.
  → Also We will go to the theater tonight, but sounds a bit more formal or distant, like a promise or a plan you’re stating more firmly.

In everyday speech, Nous allons au théâtre ce soir is completely normal for a future event later the same day.

Why is it au théâtre and not à le théâtre?

In French, à + le always contracts to au:

• à (to, at) + le (the, masculine singular) → au

Since théâtre is a masculine singular noun (le théâtre), you get:

• à + le théâtre → au théâtre

So Nous allons au théâtre literally means We are going to the theater.

Why do we need “the” (the article) in au théâtre? In English I could also say “We’re going to theater” (in a general sense).

French almost always requires an article before a singular countable noun, even when English can drop it.

• English: “We’re going to (the) theater tonight.”
• French: Nous allons au théâtre ce soir.
  (You must have le → au.)

Au théâtre can mean:

• a specific theater you have in mind, or
• theater in general (as an activity: going to see a play).

The context usually makes it clear; French still keeps the article either way.

Why is it ce soir and not cet soir?

Because soir is masculine and starts with a consonant sound:

• soir = masculine noun → le soir
• Demonstrative for masculine + consonant = ce

Use:

• ce soir (this evening / tonight)
• cet is only for masculine nouns that begin with a vowel sound or silent h:
  • cet arbre (this tree)
  • cet homme (this man)
  • cet été (this summer)

So you say ce soir, never cet soir.

What’s the difference between soir, soirée, and nuit?

Roughly:

• soir = evening (the time of day, more neutral/clock time)

  • ce soir = this evening / tonight

• soirée = evening as an event or duration (focus on the time spent, often social)

  • une soirée au théâtre = an evening at the theater

• nuit = night (the late-night period, when it’s really dark, typically when you sleep)

  • cette nuit = tonight (during the night / in the middle of the night)

In Nous allons au théâtre ce soir, ce soir is natural because going to the theater is an evening activity, not late at night.

Can I move ce soir to another place in the sentence?

Yes. The most common options are:

• Nous allons au théâtre ce soir. (very natural, neutral order)
• Ce soir, nous allons au théâtre. (emphasizes “this evening / tonight”)

You usually wouldn’t put ce soir in the very middle of nous allons and au théâtre, so avoid:

• ✗ Nous allons ce soir au théâtre. (understandable, but less natural in this simple sentence)

Can I say On va au théâtre ce soir instead of Nous allons au théâtre ce soir?

Absolutely, and in everyday spoken French on is often more common than nous:

• Nous allons au théâtre ce soir.
  → more formal or written style, or when you truly want to stress “we (and not others)”

• On va au théâtre ce soir.
  → very common in speech, feels more casual and natural

In modern spoken French, on + 3rd person singular verb (on va) frequently replaces nous + 1st person plural (nous allons).

How do I make this sentence negative?

To make it negative, wrap ne … pas around the conjugated verb allons:

• Nous n’allons pas au théâtre ce soir.
  → We’re not going to the theater tonight.

Notes:

• ne becomes n’ before a vowel sound (like allons).
• The structure is: nous + ne/n’ + verb + pas + (rest of the sentence).

How do you pronounce Nous allons au théâtre ce soir?

Approximate pronunciation in IPA:

• Nous allons au théâtre ce soir → /nu za.lɔ̃ zo te.atʁ sə swaʁ/

Key points:

• nous → /nu/ (the s is silent)
• allons → /a.lɔ̃/ (nasal on at the end)
• There is a liaison: nous allons → /nu.za.lɔ̃/ (you hear a /z/ sound)
• Another liaison: allons au → /a.lɔ̃.zo/
• théâtre → /te.atʁ/ (three syllables: te-a-tr(e), final e is not pronounced)
• Final consonants:
  • soir → /swaʁ/ (the r is pronounced; oi → /wa/)

Spoken slowly and clearly:
Nous allons au théâtre ce soir → something like “noo za-lon zo tay-atr suh swar” in English-based approximation.