tu y vas ?
The English phrase "are you going?" is translated into French as tu y vas ?
A question used to ask if someone is leaving for a specific destination now.
Which one should you use?
Without the 'y', tu vas ? sounds incomplete to a native speaker because it lacks the 'there' required to indicate a destination.
Did you know?
- The verb vas comes from the Latin vadis, which is also the ancestor of the English word 'invade'.
- In spoken French, tu y vas ? is often used as a prompt to encourage someone to finally take action or start a task.
Examples in context
- Bonjour Monsieur Dupont, comment allez-vous? Êtes-vous en partance pour la réunion?Hello, Mr. Dupont, how are you? Are you going to the meeting?
- Tu y vas ?Are you going there?
- C'est pour la fête, tu y vas ?It's for the party, are you going?
Example conversation
Manon and Nathan are in their apartment and Nathan is grabbing his keys.
- ManonTu prends tes clés, tu y vas ?You're taking your keys, are you going?
- NathanOui, je vais au supermarché.Yes, I am going to the supermarket.
- ManonD'accord, tu y vas tout de suite ?Okay, are you going right now?
- NathanOui, je reviens vite.Yes, I'll be back quickly.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tu, vas, y, CC BY-SA 4.0.
