s'en aller
/s‿ɑ̃.n‿a.le/
The English phrase "get away" can be translated to French as s'en aller.
s'en aller means to go away or to leave. While it can be used to describe the act of leaving, if you specifically mean "getting away" in the sense of traveling for a holiday or leisure, French speakers more commonly use the phrase partir en vacances.
Meaning: to journey (to), especially on holiday (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the reflexive pronoun se, the adverbial pronoun en (meaning "from there") and the verb aller (to go), which together literally mean "to go oneself from there".
How does it change in a sentence?
s'en aller is a reflexive verb, which means the reflexive pronoun must change to agree with the subject.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /s‿ɑ̃.n‿a.le/. It consists of 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- Even though s'en aller is used to say one is leaving, you can use it to describe a person's sudden disappearance or even a character's death in literature.
- The verb aller is actually a hybrid created from two different Latin verbs. Forms starting with v- come from vado and forms starting with ir- come from eo.
- The structure of s'en aller is nearly identical to the Italian andarsene, showing that several Romance languages developed the same unique way to emphasize departing from a specific point.
Examples in context
- Je dois m'éloigner pour prendre un appel important.I need to get away to take an important call.
- On devrait filer avant qu'il ne commence à pleuvoir.We should get away before it starts raining.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Emma are discussing their vacation plans.
- GabrielJe suis fatigué, j'ai besoin de m'en aller.I'm tired, I need to get away.
- EmmaMoi aussi, Emma a envie de voyager.Me too, Emma feels like traveling.
- GabrielOn pourrait s'en aller en Italie ensemble.We could get away to Italy together.
- EmmaC'est une excellente idée, Gabriel !That is an excellent idea, Gabriel!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry s'en aller, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aller, s'en aller, CC BY-SA 4.0.
