This French 1 lesson explains aller near future step by step, with examples in French and English. Then practise with the worksheet on aller near future and check yourself with the quiz.
Quick answer: The verb aller (to go) is irregular: je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont. Use it with à plus a place (au, à la, à l’, aux) to say where someone goes, or with an infinitive to build the near future: Je vais manger means I am going to eat.
Level: French 1 (high school, ACTFL Novice) · Standards: ACTFL Novice Mid, WL 1.1 Interpersonal, WL 1.2 Interpretive, WL 1.3 Presentational
Aller near future: the lesson
How do you conjugate the verb aller?
Definition
Aller means to go. It is an irregular verb, so its forms do not follow the regular -er pattern. Learn the six forms as a set.
| Subject | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| je | vais | Je vais au gymnase. — I go to the gym. |
| tu | vas | Tu vas où ? — Where are you going? |
| il / elle / on | va | On va à la piscine. — We are going to the pool. |
| nous | allons | Nous allons à Lyon. — We go to Lyon. |
| vous | allez | Vous allez au musée ? — Are you going to the museum? |
| ils / elles | vont | Elles vont à l’école. — They go to school. |
How do you say to the with places?
Rule: à + article
The preposition à joins with le and les. It stays separate before la and before a vowel.
- à + le → au: Je vais au parc.
- à + les → aux: Il va aux Galeries.
- à la and à l’ stay: Elle va à la mairie. Je vais à l’hôpital.
Common mistake
English says I go home or I go to the store. French needs à in every case, and never à le. Write Je vais au marché, not Je vais à le marché. For a person’s house, use chez: Nous allons chez Moussa.
How do you say what is going to happen?
Rule: the near future
Conjugate aller in the present, then add an infinitive. No other word goes between them.
Examples
- Demain, je vais visiter Québec. — Tomorrow, I am going to visit Québec.
- Ce soir, Léa et Amadou vont regarder un film. — Tonight, Léa and Amadou are going to watch a film.
- Nous n’allons pas prendre le bus. — We are not going to take the bus.
Culture note
In everyday French, on va often replaces nous allons. Friends text On va au ciné ? far more than the longer form. The greeting Ça va ? also comes from aller.
Zoé’s tip
Picture a taxi: aller drives you to the place, and the infinitive is what you will do when you arrive. Say the pair out loud: je vais + verbe.
Key points to remember
- Aller has six forms to memorize: vais, vas, va, allons, allez, vont.
- À + le becomes au and à + les becomes aux; à la and à l’ do not change.
- Near future = a form of aller + an infinitive: Nous allons jouer.
- In a negative near future, ne … pas surrounds aller only: Je ne vais pas dormir.
- To go to a person’s home, use chez, not à: Je vais chez Inès.
Going Places and Making Plans in French: frequently asked questions
Why is aller called irregular?
Its present forms (vais, vas, va, vont) do not follow the regular -er endings, and the stem changes between vais and allons. There is no shortcut, so memorize the six forms.
When do I use au instead of à le?
Always. French never writes à le or à les; they merge into au and aux. Before la or a vowel sound, à stays separate: à la gare, à l’école.
How do I form the near future in French?
Conjugate aller in the present tense and add the infinitive of the action. For example, Nous allons manger means We are going to eat.
Where does ne … pas go in the near future?
Put ne … pas around the conjugated form of aller only. Say Je ne vais pas partir, and keep the infinitive after pas.
What is the difference between à and chez?
Use à with places and businesses, like à la poste. Use chez with a person or a person’s home, like chez ma cousine.