French · A1 · Grammar
The French Near Future: Aller + Infinitive
Use the present tense of aller followed by a dictionary-form verb to talk about a plan or an expected event. Je vais réserver means I’m going to book. Change the form of aller to match the subject and leave the second verb alone. A time expression can make the plan more precise.
Library date · Published
Examples
| French | English |
|---|---|
| On va manger à sept heures. | We’re going to eat at seven. |
| Vous allez rester ici ? | Are you going to stay here? |
| Je ne vais pas conduire. | I’m not going to drive. |
Conjugate only the first verb
Je vais, tu vas, elle va, nous allons, vous allez and ils vont can all introduce an infinitive. Compare Nous allons visiter le musée with Ils vont visiter le musée. Visiter stays exactly the same. This pattern is also called the futur proche.
A movement or a plan
Je vais à la gare says you are going to a place. Je vais prendre le train tells what you are going to do. For a negative plan, put ne and pas around aller: Je ne vais pas prendre le train.
Try it
Say “We’re going to buy two tickets tomorrow”.
Show answer
Nous allons acheter deux billets demain.
French course coming soon.