ALLER and VENIR in Present Tense

Les verbes aller et venir

Movement, the near future and the recent past

⚡Key points

aller : vais, vas, va, allons, allez, vont→to go (irregular)

venir : viens, viens, vient, venons, venez, viennent→to come

aller + infinitive = near future→je vais manger — I am going to eat

venir de + infinitive = recent past→je viens de manger — I have just eaten

Le verbe ALLER

The verb aller (to go) is irregular and very frequent. It expresses movement and is also used to ask how someone is (Comment ça va ?).

aller — present

je	vais	I go
tu	vas	you go
il / elle / on	va	he / she goes
nous	allons	we go
vous	allez	you go
ils / elles	vont	they go

Uses of aller

Movement (with à / au / aux)

Je vais à Paris.

Tu vas au cinéma. (à + le = au)

Nous allons aux toilettes. (à + les = aux)

Asking how someone is

Comment ça va ?

Je vais bien, merci.

Elle va mal aujourd’hui.

💡💡 The near future: aller + infinitive

To talk about something happening soon, use aller in the present + a verb in the infinitive. This is the futur proche, very common in speech: Je vais manger (I am going to eat).

Je vais partir. (I am going to leave)

Nous allons voyager. (we are going to travel)

Tu vas aimer ce film. (you are going to like this film)

Dialogue: weekend plans

EmmaTu vas où ce week-end ?

HugoJe vais à Marseille. Nous allons visiter le port.

EmmaSuper ! Vous allez prendre le train ?

HugoOui, et après on va manger au restaurant.

Emma: Where are you going this weekend? | Hugo: I am going to Marseille. We are going to visit the port. | Emma: Great! Are you going to take the train? | Hugo: Yes, and afterwards we are going to eat at a restaurant.

Le verbe VENIR

The verb venir (to come) is also irregular. It is used to say where you come from (venir de) and to express the recent past.

venir — present

je	viens	I come
tu	viens	you come
il / elle / on	vient	he / she comes
nous	venons	we come
vous	venez	you come
ils / elles	viennent	they come

Uses of venir

Origin: venir de + place

Je viens de Russie.

Il vient de Paris.

Nous venons d’Espagne.

Recent past: venir de + infinitive

Je viens de manger. (I have just eaten)

Elle vient d’arriver. (she has just arrived)

Dialogue: at the party

LéaTu viens d’où ?

IvanJe viens de Russie. Et toi, tu viens souvent ici ?

LéaOui ! Mes amis viennent d’arriver.

IvanParfait, nous venons de commander à boire.

Léa: Where do you come from? | Ivan: I come from Russia. And you, do you come here often? | Léa: Yes! My friends have just arrived. | Ivan: Perfect, we have just ordered drinks.