2025.08.18

French Grammar #15: The Present Tense of aller and the Near Future

Izumi

The verb aller (“to go”) is one of the most fundamental verbs in French. While it is often used to indicate movement, its role is not limited to that. By using the construction aller + infinitive, you can form the “near future” (futur proche), a very common way to express future actions in French.

In this lesson, I will explain the present tense conjugation of aller, its basic usage, and how the near future is formed and used.

Contents

1. The Present Tense of aller
2. Basic Usage of aller: Expressing Movement
3. What Are Contractions?
- 3-1. Contraction Rules with à
- 3-2. Contractions with de (Reference)
4. The Near Future: Expressing Upcoming Plans
5. Meaning and Features of the Near Future
6. Negation and Questions in the Near Future
7. Summary

1. The Present Tense of aller

Aller corresponds to the English verb go, meaning “to go” or “to move.” In French, however, it also plays a crucial role in forming future expressions. Because it is an irregular verb, each conjugated form must be memorized individually.

Present Tense Conjugation of aller

Subject	Conjugation
je	vais
tu	vas
il / elle / on	va
nous	allons
vous	allez
ils / elles	vont

Unlike English go, the French verb aller changes significantly depending on the subject, so attention to detail is necessary.

2. Basic Usage of aller: Expressing Movement

The most basic meaning of aller in French is to indicate movement — “to go to a place.”

Je vais à Paris. (I am going to Paris.)
Elle va à la bibliothèque. (She is going to the library.)

When aller is followed by à + definite article, contractions may occur.

3. What Are Contractions?

In French, the prepositions à and de contract when followed by the definite articles le or les. This feature, unique to French, exists to ensure smoother pronunciation.

Because aller frequently occurs with à + definite article + noun to indicate destinations, it is essential to understand these contraction rules.

3-1. Contraction Rules with à

Preposition + Article	Contracted Form	Example	Translation
à + le (masc. sing.)	au	Je vais au marché.	I am going to the market.
à + les (plural)	aux	Nous allons aux musées.	We are going to the museums.
à + la (fem. sing.)	à la	Tu vas à la banque.	You are going to the bank.
à + l’ (before vowel or silent h)	à l’	Elle va à l’école.	She is going to school.

Summary

Contraction occurs only with à + le and à + les.
With feminine singular nouns (à la), no contraction occurs.
With no article, or with indefinite articles (un, une, des), no contraction occurs.
Before a vowel or silent h, à l’ is used.

3-2. Contractions with de (Reference)

The preposition de (of, from) follows the same rules. Although it is not directly related to aller, here is a brief overview:

Preposition + Article	Contracted Form	Example	Translation
de + le	du	C’est la clé du bureau.	That is the key to the office.
de + les	des	Le livre des enfants.	The children’s book.
de + la	de la	Le prix de la maison.	The price of the house.
de + l’	de l’	Le professeur de l’école.	The teacher of the school.

4. The Near Future: Expressing Upcoming Plans

The near future (futur proche) is used to talk about actions or events that are about to happen.

【Formula】Subject + aller (present tense) + infinitive

This construction is very similar to English be going to.

Subject	aller (present)	Infinitive	Example
Je	vais	partir	Je vais partir. (I am going to leave.)
Tu	vas	étudier	Tu vas étudier. (You are going to study.)
Il	va	manger	Il va manger. (He is going to eat.)
Nous	allons	voyager	Nous allons voyager. (We are going to travel.)
Vous	allez	acheter	Vous allez acheter. (You are going to buy.)
Ils	vont	visiter	Ils vont visiter. (They are going to visit.)

5. Meaning and Features of the Near Future

The near future conveys three main nuances:

5-1. Fixed Plans in the Near Future

It expresses scheduled actions that will happen soon (today, tomorrow, in the immediate future).

Je vais voir un médecin cet après-midi.
(I am going to see a doctor this afternoon.)

5-2. Intention or Plan of the Speaker

It shows an action the speaker has already decided to carry out.

Elle va commencer son nouveau travail lundi.
(She is going to start her new job on Monday.)

5-3. Prediction or Certainty

It expresses the speaker’s strong belief about something about to happen.

Il va pleuvoir ce soir.
(It is going to rain this evening.)

Point

The near future is used when the speaker has a concrete image or plan regarding the future.

6. Negation and Questions in the Near Future

6-1. Negation

【Formula】Subject + ne + aller (present) + pas + infinitive

The ne … pas surrounds aller, not the infinitive.

Je ne vais pas partir.
(I am not going to leave.)
Nous n’allons pas manger.
(We are not going to eat.)

6-2. Yes/No Questions with Est-ce que

【Formula】Est-ce que + subject + aller (present) + infinitive

Est-ce que tu vas partir ?
(Are you going to leave?)
Est-ce que nous allons visiter Paris ?
(Are we going to visit Paris?)

6-3. Inverted Questions

【Formula】aller (present) – subject + infinitive

Vas-tu venir ? (Are you going to come?)
Vont-ils commencer ? (Are they going to begin?)

Inverted questions are more formal and are mainly used in writing or formal speech.

7. Summary

Aller is an irregular verb meaning “to go,” with unique present tense conjugations.
The construction aller + infinitive forms the near future (futur proche), which expresses upcoming or intended actions.
The near future is widely used in everyday conversation as a natural way to talk about future events.
Pay attention to contractions with à and definite articles (au, aux).

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