Making a simple plan with aller
Talk about what you are going to do and arrange to meet.
Conjugate aller in useful present forms. Build aller plus infinitive. Suggest a time and respond to an invitation.
Hear the lesson phrases
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Read the audio transcript
Qu'est-ce que tu vas faire demain ? Je vais visiter le musée. Tu veux venir ? Oui. On se retrouve à quelle heure ? À dix heures, devant le musée.
Use aller in the present
Aller has an irregular present: je vais, tu vas, il/elle/on va, nous allons, vous allez, ils/elles vont. Je vais à la gare describes going to the station.
On va is often used conversationally for we are going. Nous allons is also useful. With either subject, learn the whole form rather than trying to derive it from the infinitive ending.
Add an infinitive for a plan
Aller plus an infinitive forms a common way to express the future: je vais travailler demain. There is no à between aller and the infinitive in this construction.
Keep the second verb unchanged: nous allons manger, elle va visiter le musée. A time expression such as demain, ce soir, or samedi makes the plan clear.
Arrange and adjust a meeting
Tu veux venir ? invites a friend to come. On se retrouve à dix heures ? proposes a meeting time. Devant le musée names an exact place.
If the plan does not work, je ne peux pas gives a simple refusal. Offer another time: à onze heures ? Confirm both the place and the time before closing the exchange.
Lesson vocabulary
Read each word aloud, then test your recall of its meaning.
| aller | to go | |
| je vais | I go / I am going | |
| demain | tomorrow | |
| ce soir | this evening | |
| visiter | to visit a place | |
| devant | in front of | |
| d'accord | okay / agreed | |
| se retrouver | to meet up |
Practice questions
Answer the questions and read the explanations. You can repeat the exercises.
I can state a simple future plan. I can invite someone. I can agree on a meeting time and place.