Aller, À and De, and Arriver

Aller

Aller is a common French verb that means "to go." The below table depicts how you conjugate aller. Notice that the columns on the left show first, second, and third person singular, and the columns on the right show first, second, and third person plural. Familiarize yourself with the words below, and practice your pronunciation by repeating each aloud. Click each word to hear the pronunciation.

Conjugation of Aller
Singular Plural
French English French English
Je vais I go Nous allons We go
Tu vas You go Vous allez You all go
Il va
Elle va
On va

He goes
She goes
One goes/we go

Ils vont
Elles vont
They go (m)(m/f)
They go (f)

 

À + le/la/les

A plus le/la/lesOften, aller is followed by the preposition, à. This preposition means to, at, or in. In this interactivity, you will learn grammar rules that will help you form sentences about going to places, at places, or in places. Click the player to begin.

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Take a moment to review the table below, which contains the rules for à plus le, la, and les.

Rules for à + le/la/les
À + Subject Pronoun Contraction or No Contraction Example in French Example in English
à + la à la Il va à la plage. He goes to the beach.
à + l’ à l’ Elle va à l’hôtel. She goes to the hotel.
à + le au Nous allons au restaurant. We go to the restaurant.
à + les aux Ils vont aux parcs. They go to the parks.

De + le/la/les

Arriver is a regular -er verb that is normally followed by de. It means from or of. In English, you may say, "He arrives from the train station." De forms contractions in a similar way as à when it comes before a noun that begins with le, la, or les. Take a moment to examine the table below, which contains the rules for de plus le, la, and les.

Rules for de + le/la/les
De + Subject Pronoun Contraction or No Contraction Example in French Example in English
de + la de la Il arrive de la piscine. He arrives from the pool.
de+ l’ de l’ Elle arrive de l’hôtel. She arrives from the hotel.
de + le du Nous arrivons du café. We arrive from the cafe.
de + les des Ils arrivent des magasins. They arrive from the stores.

 

Aller, À and De, and Arriver Review

self-check iconAller, A and De, and Arriver ReviewNow that you have learned a little about aller, à and de, and arriver, review your knowledge in this non-graded activity. Click the player to get started.