tu es allé
The English phrase 'you went' is translated into French as tu es allé.
This phrase is the past tense form of the verb 'to go' and is used to describe a completed movement to a place.
Which one should you use?
Use Tu es allé(e) for informal situations and Vous êtes allé(e) for formal situations.
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle 'allé' agrees in gender with the subject of the sentence. If the person being spoken to is female, the past participle must add an extra -e to become tu es allée.
Did you know?
- The distinction between tu es allé and vous êtes allé is so culturally significant that using tu with a stranger or a superior can be seen as a social aggression or an insult.
- The word tu is a direct relative of the German word du and the Russian word ты, as they all share the same ancient root for the singular 'you'.
- In French, some verbs of movement like aller require the auxiliary être, but if you add a specific object like 'the way', the verb suddenly switches to using avoir.
Examples in context
- Dis-moi où tu es allé.Tell me where you went.This example shows how to use tu es allé to ask about a destination.Tatoeba #2041024 by sacredceltic, translation #1860546 by CK
- Tu es allé avec Mary à Boston.You went to Boston with Mary.This example uses tu es allé to describe a person's travel companion and destination.Tatoeba #2316425 by Amastan, translation #5971305 by thomsmells
- Cette fois, tu es allé trop loin.This time you went overboard.This example uses tu es allé in a figurative sense to mean going too far.Tatoeba #2251445 by sacredceltic, translation #6376641 by OsoHombre
- Vous êtes allé(e) au théâtre hier soir.You went to the theater last night.
- Tu es allé(e) à la plage hier ?Did you go to the beach yesterday?
- Tu as été voir le dernier film ?Did you go see the latest movie?
- Tu es allé(e) à la fête.You went to the party.
- 13 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé are talking about the weekend.
- GabrielTu es allé au cinéma hier ?Did you go to the cinema yesterday?
- ChloéOui, je suis allée avec ma sœur.Yes, I went with my sister.
- GabrielAh, tu es allé voir le nouveau film ?Ah, you went to see the new movie?
- ChloéOui, c'était vraiment super !Yes, it was really great!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tu, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
