How to Say “Go” in French

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aller
/a.le/
To go in French is aller.
The verb aller is used to express the movement of going from one place to another. It is also used in the construction aller + infinitive to express the near future, functioning similarly to "going to" in English. Additionally, aller is used in common greetings to discuss health or well-being, such as in the phrase Comment ça va? (How is it going?).
Meaning: to move through space (especially from one place to another) (verb)

Which one should you use?

While aller focuses on moving toward a destination, other forms express different nuances of leaving. S'en aller specifically means to go away or to leave, and partir means to leave or to depart. If you want to express the concept of "approval," you would use approbation or feu vert instead of a verb. For the board game known as "Go" in English, French uses jeu de go.

Is it said differently in some regions?

The verb partir is used to mean to leave or to depart in both France and Quebec.

Related words

Approval (noun): approbation, feu vert.

Board game (noun): go, jeu de go.

How does it change in a sentence?

Aller is a highly irregular verb. In the present tense, it conjugates as vais, vas, va, allons, allez, vont. When using the conditional mood (to say "would go"), the verb uses the irregular stem ir-, resulting in forms like irais.

How do you pronounce it?

The pronunciation of aller is /a.le/.

What mistakes should you avoid?

When describing movement or a state of being, do not use je suis (I am) as a substitute for je vais (I go/am going).

Did you know?

  • The irregular forms of aller starting with ir- actually come from a completely different Latin verb, eo, rather than the Latin root for the rest of the word.
  • The French word allure meaning 'pace' or 'speed' is a direct derivative of the verb aller.
  • In casual French, Allez ! is frequently used as an exclamation to encourage someone, similar to saying 'Come on!' or 'Let's go!' in English.

Examples in context

  • On va y aller.
    We're going to go.
    This sentence shows how to express 'We're going to go' using aller.
    Tatoeba #7291219 by Aiji, translation #2273746 by CK
  • Tu peux y aller.
    You may go there.
    This sentence shows how to say 'You may go there' using aller.
    Tatoeba #474834 by sacredceltic, translation #16625 by CK
  • Je dois y aller.
    Gotta go.
    This sentence shows how to say 'Gotta go' using aller.
    Tatoeba #952757 by sacredceltic, translation #785358 by Zifre
  • Je vais au marché.
    I go to the market.
  • Vous allez à la bibliothèque.
    You go to the library.
  • On bouge ce soir ?
    Are we going out tonight?
  • Je dois partir maintenant.
    I have to go now.
  • Elle est partie faire des courses.
    She went grocery shopping.
  • Tu es prêt ? – Oui, vas-y !
    Are you ready? – Yes, go for it!
  • Je ne peux pas aller à la fête, mais vas-y à ma place.
    I can't go to the party, but you go in my place.
  • 2632 more sentences on Tatoeba

Example conversation

Chloé and Lucas are discussing their plans for the afternoon.

  1. Chloé

    Où est-ce que tu vas, Lucas ?
    Where are you going, Lucas?
  2. Lucas

    Je vais au centre commercial.
    I am going to the shopping mall.
  3. Chloé

    Est-ce que tu vas y aller en voiture ?
    Are you going to go there by car?
  4. Lucas

    Oui, je vais prendre ma voiture.
    Yes, I am going to take my car.

Sources

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Jeremy Willie
Jeremy WillieHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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