French grammar - To go - the verb aller

To go - the verb aller

The verb aller means 'to go'. It is classified as an -ER-type verb due to its -er ending.

Its present tense conjugations are as follows:

• je vais - 'I go'

• tu vas - 'you (familiar) go'

• il & elle va - 'he goes' or 'she goes'

• nous allons - 'we go'

• vous allez - 'you (plural)' or 'you (formal) go'

• ils & elles vont - 'they go'

Note that the present tense in French could mean the simple present (eg. 'I go everyday') or the present continuous (eg, 'I am going at the moment').

Examples:
	je vais I go / I am going
	tu vas you (familiar) go / you are going
	il va he goes / he is going
	elle va she goes / she is going
	nous allons we go / we are going
	nous n'allons pas we do not go / we are not going
	vous allez you (plural) go / you are going
	ils vont they go / they are going
	elles vont they (females) go / they are going
	Jacques va. Jacques goes/is going.
	Jean et Alexandre vont. Jean and Alexandre go/are going.
	Ça va ? How goes it? OR How are you? A very common greeting - literally 'it goes?' ça means 'it' or 'this'
	Ça va bien ? It is going well? Literally 'it goes well?' bien means 'well' or 'fine'
	Oui, ça va. Yes, it goes fine. OR Yes, I am well.
	Non, ça ne va pas. No, it is not going well.
	Où allez-vous ? Where are you (formal) going? où means both 'where' (location) and 'to where' (destination)
	Où vont-elles ? Where are they (females) going?
	Pourquoi vas-tu ? Why are you (familiar) going?
	Je vais avec Alec. I'm going with Alec.