Salut chers amis (Hello dear friends)!
I trust you are all doing very fine. For the past two weeks now, we've been looking into some important verbs that are very unavoidable in daily French language conversation.
Today, we will be treating the last one in this category before we move on to learning something new.
The verb we shall be considering today is the verb "aller = to go". Here, we will be learning how to conjugate this verb in present tense and its simple uses for our level.
The verb "aller" is conjugated in present tense thus:
Je vais = I am going
Tu vas = You are going
Il va = He is going
Elle va = She is going
Nous allons = We are going
Vous allez = You are going
Ils/Elles vont = They are going
The verb "aller" has few uses.
Let's quickly look into the necessary ones for our level.
1. To ask or say where one is going
Examples :
Vous allez où ? = Where are you going?
Je vais à Lagos. = I am going to Lagos.
Il va à l'école. = He is going to school.
Nous allons à la maison. = We are going home.
2. To ask or say how one is doing
It would interest you to know that the main verb in the common expression
"comment ça va ?" which is popularly known as "how are you?" is actually conjugated from the verb "aller".
The French use this verb to ask how someone is doing and equally say how they are doing.
Examples :
Comment allez-vous ? Or Comment vas-tu? = How are you?
Je vais bien. = I am fine.
Nous allons bien. = We are fine.
*note : using "comment ça va?" and "ça va bien" as "how are you?" and "I am fine" respectively is not totally out of place. But, it is more standard to say "comment allez-vous? /comment vas-tu ?" and "Je vais bien." You could also say : Vous allez bien ? / Tu vas bien ? = Are you fine?
Now, you are just a step closer to expressing yourself in French. Keep practicing and trying some simple sentences on your own.
Till we meet again next week, don't quit learning and increasing in knowledge with Ma Petite France.
