Breakdown of Je vais à la consultation demain matin.
Questions & Answers about Je vais à la consultation demain matin.
Both are grammatically correct, but they don’t feel exactly the same:
Je vais à la consultation demain matin literally: I’m going to the consultation tomorrow morning.
- This is the near future (futur proche), like English “I’m going…” or “I’m going to go…”.
- It sounds very natural and conversational, commonly used about fixed plans.
J’irai à la consultation demain matin: I will go to the consultation tomorrow morning.
- This is the simple future (futur simple).
- It can sound a bit more formal, distant or planned in a neutral way.
In everyday spoken French, je vais + place/time is extremely common to talk about a planned appointment for tomorrow.
- consultation is a feminine noun: la consultation.
- The preposition + article combination works like this:
- à + la → à la (feminine singular)
- à + le → au (masculine singular)
- à + l’ → à l’ (before a vowel sound)
- à + les → aux (plural)
So:
- à la consultation is correct because consultation is feminine.
- au consultation would be wrong (it would imply le consultation, which is incorrect).
- chez is normally used with people or professions, not events:
- chez le médecin = at/to the doctor’s (office)
- But not chez la consultation.
So je vais à la consultation = I’m going to the appointment/consultation.
It’s related, but the default meaning in French is broader and more medical:
- une consultation usually means:
- a doctor’s appointment
- a medical consultation (seeing a doctor, specialist, dentist, etc.)
For example:
- J’ai une consultation chez le dentiste. = I have a dentist’s appointment.
- La consultation dure 20 minutes. = The appointment lasts 20 minutes.
In English, “consultation” can sound a bit formal or business-like; in French, une consultation is a very normal, everyday way to talk about a medical appointment.
It’s correct, but in everyday speech you might more often hear:
- Je vais chez le médecin demain matin.
I’m going to the doctor’s tomorrow morning. - J’ai une consultation demain matin.
I have an appointment tomorrow morning. - J’ai rendez-vous chez le spécialiste demain matin.
I have an appointment with the specialist tomorrow morning.
Je vais à la consultation is clearest when:
- You’re talking about a specific consultation that’s already defined (e.g. the one we mentioned before), or
- The context is obviously medical (e.g. in a hospital or clinic setting).
Both exist, but they don’t mean the same:
Je vais à la consultation
= I’m going to the appointment (movement towards the place/event).Je suis en consultation
= I’m in a consultation (I’m currently seeing a patient / seeing the doctor).
Often used:- by the doctor: Le médecin est en consultation. (The doctor is with a patient.)
- or by a patient during the appointment, in context.
So:
- à → direction, destination.
- en → current state, being in the process of the consultation.
Yes, French is flexible with time expressions. All of these are correct and natural:
- Je vais à la consultation demain matin.
- Demain matin, je vais à la consultation.
- Je vais demain matin à la consultation. (a bit less common, but possible)
What you cannot say is:
- *Je vais à la consultation matin demain. (wrong order)
- *Je vais à la consultation le demain matin. (wrong article)
The most neutral everyday choice is:
Je vais à la consultation demain matin.
Yes:
- demain = tomorrow (at some point during the day, unspecific)
- demain matin = tomorrow morning (more precise)
Examples:
- Je vais à la consultation demain.
I’m going to the appointment tomorrow. (time could be morning, afternoon, etc.) - Je vais à la consultation demain matin.
I’m going tomorrow morning (specifically in the morning).
There’s no article in demain matin — you don’t say le demain matin.
They’re not the same:
- demain matin = tomorrow morning (one specific morning)
- le matin = in the morning / in the mornings (habitual or general time)
So:
Je vais à la consultation demain matin.
= I’m going to the appointment tomorrow morning. (one time)Je vais à la consultation le matin.
= I go to the appointment(s) in the morning.
This sounds like a habit or repeated action, not a one-off appointment.
Key points:
je vais
- je: like “zhuh”
- vais: pronounced [vɛ], like “veh” (final -s is silent here)
je vais à
- There is a liaison: the normally silent -s of vais is pronounced like z before à.
- You get: [ʒə vɛ za] (roughly “zhuh veh za”).
la consultation
- la: “lah”
- consultation: kohn-sool-ta-syon (final -n is nasalised, not fully pronounced)
So the whole thing flows as:
- [ʒə vɛ za la kɔ̃syltaˈsjɔ̃]
The most important detail for learners:
- vais à sounds like “veh-za”, not “veh-ah”.
Yes, and it’s very natural:
- Je vais à mon rendez-vous demain matin.
= I’m going to my appointment tomorrow morning.
Common alternatives:
- J’ai rendez-vous demain matin. (very common)
- J’ai rendez-vous chez le médecin demain matin.
rendez-vous is a very frequent everyday word for an appointment (medical, professional, etc.), and often sounds more natural than consultation in casual conversation, especially if the context is already clear.
Yes:
- Je vais à la consultation demain.
= I’m going to the consultation tomorrow.
This is correct and natural if:
- The time of day is already known from context, or
- You don’t need to specify morning.
Adding matin just makes the time more precise: tomorrow morning instead of just tomorrow.