Aller Conjugation: To Go, and the Future You Build With It
Aller conjugated across présent, passé composé, imparfait and futur - plus how aller + infinitive builds the everyday near-future tense.
Aller (to go) present tense: je vais, tu vas, il/elle va, nous allons, vous allez, ils/elles vont. Its passé composé uses être: je suis allé(e). Most importantly, aller + infinitive builds the everyday near-future: je vais manger (I’m going to eat).
Quick answer
Aller (to go) present tense: je vais, tu vas, il/elle va, nous allons, vous allez, ils/elles vont. Its passé composé uses être: je suis allé(e). Most importantly, aller + infinitive builds the everyday near-future: je vais manger (I’m going to eat).
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This is the per-verb deep-dive companion to the French conjugation guide.
Aller in the present
| Pronoun | Aller |
|---|---|
| je | vais |
| tu | vas |
| il/elle/on | va |
| nous | allons |
| vous | allez |
| ils/elles | vont |
Aller in the passé composé
Je suis allé(e) - uses être! See why aller uses être and avoir vs être in passé composé for the full picture, including the agreement reminder: allé/allée/allés/allées.
Aller in the imparfait and futur simple
Imparfait: j’allais, tu allais… Futur simple: j’irai, tu iras… (irregular stem ir-). See the French future tense for the full irregular-stem list.
The star feature: aller + infinitive = futur proche
Je vais manger (I’m going to eat), tu vas partir (you’re going to leave) - the near-future construction used constantly in everyday speech.
| Pronoun | Futur proche |
|---|---|
| je | vais manger |
| tu | vas manger |
| nous | allons manger |
Common mistakes
Forgetting être for passé composé (using avoir instead); confusing futur proche with the plain present tense.
Aller, mastered in every tense
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Questions about this note
What is je vais in English?
"I go" or "I'm going."
Does aller use avoir or être for passé composé?
Être - je suis allé(e), with agreement.
How do you build the near future with aller?
Aller (conjugated) + infinitive: je vais partir (I'm going to leave).
Is futur proche the same as futur simple?
No - futur proche (aller + infinitive) is the everyday spoken near-future; futur simple (j'irai) is more formal or distant.
Why is aller irregular?
Its stems come from different verb roots historically, unlike regular -er verbs.