French learners quickly discover the importance of the verbs “aller” (to go) and “venir” (to come). These two verbs are like workhorses, popping up constantly in conversations and forming the foundation for many other expressions. This article will guide you through their conjugations in various tenses and moods, ensuring you use them confidently!
Differences Between Aller and Venir
The key difference between “aller” and “venir” lies in their direction. “Aller” simply means “to go,” while “venir” signifies “to come.” Here’s how they work in action:
- Je vais au cinéma. (I’m going to the cinema.) – “Aller” describes the speaker’s movement away from the listener.
- Elle vient à la fête. (She’s coming to the party.) – “Venir” indicates the person’s movement towards the speaker.
Prepositions can further modify the meaning of these verbs. For example, “aller chercher” (to go and get) implies going somewhere and then returning with something, while “venir de” (to have just done something) indicates a recent action.
- Je suis allée chercher Sophie. (I went to pick sophie up)
- Je viens de finir mon petit déjeuner. (I just got done with my breakfast)
Fun Fact! “Aller” can also mean “to fit” or “to be enough” depending on the context. For instance, “Cette robe me va bien!” (This dress fits me well!) or “Quatre oranges me vont bien” (Four oranges are enough for me)
Aller (to go):
| Present | imperfect | Future | Conditional | Subjunctive | Imperfect subj. | |
| Je /j’ | vais | allais | irai | irais | aille | allasse |
| Tu | vas | allais | iras | irais | ailles | allasses |
| Il | va | allait | ira | irait | aille | allasse |
| Nous | allons | allions | irons | irions | allions | allassions |
| Vous | allez | alliez | irez | iriez | alliez | allassiez |
| Ils | vont | allaient | iront | iraient | aillent | allassent |
| Passe compose | Past perfect | Future perfect | Past conditional | Past subjunctive | Pluperfect subj. | |
| Je/j | Suis allé | Étais allé | Serai allé | Serais allé | Sois allé | Fusse allé |
| Tu | Es allé | Étais allé | Seras allé | Serais allé | Sois allé | Fusses allé |
| Il | Est allé | Était allé | Sera allé | Serait allé | Soit allé | Fût allé |
| Nous | Sommes allés | Étions allés | Serons allé | Serions allés | Soyons allés | Fussions allés |
| Vous | Êtes allé(s) | étiez allé(s) | Serez allé (s) | Seriez allé(s) | Soyez allé(s) | Fussiez allé(s) |
| Ils | Sont allés | Étaient allés | Seront allés | Seraient allés | Soient allés | Fussent allés |
| Passe simple | Past anterior | Imperative | Past imperative | |||
| Je/j | allai | Fus allé | ||||
| Tu | allas | Fus allé | va | Sois allé | ||
| Il | alla | Fût allé | ||||
| Nous | allâmes | Fûmes allés | allons | Soyons allé | ||
| Vous | allates | Fûtes allé (s) | allez | Soyez allé | ||
| Ils | allé rent | Furent allés | ||||
| Participles |
| Present: allant |
| Past: allé |
| Perfect: étant allé |
| Past infinitive |
| Être allé |
Venir (to come):
| Present | imperfect | Future | Conditional | Subjunctive | Imperfect subj. | |
| Je /j’ | viens | venais | viendrai | viendrais | vienne | vinsse |
| Tu | viens | venais | viendras | viendrais | viennes | vinsses |
| Il | vient | venait | viendra | viendrait | vienne | vinsse |
| Nous | venons | venions | viendrons | viendrions | venions | vinssions |
| Vous | venez | veniez | viendrez | viendriez | veniez | vinssiez |
| Ils | viennent | venaient | viendront | viendraient | viennent | vinssent |
| Passe compose | Past perfect | Future perfect | Past conditional | Past subjunctive | Pluperfect subj. | |
| Je/j | suis venu | étais venu | serai venu | serais venu | sois venu | fusse venu |
| Tu | es venu | étais venu | seras venu | serais venu | sois venu | fusses venu |
| Il | est venu | était venu | sera venu | serait venu | soit venu | fut venu |
| Nous | sommes venus | étions venus | serons venus | serions venu | soyons venu | fussions venus |
| Vous | êtes venu(s) | étiez venu(s) | serez venu(s) | seriez venu | soyez venu | fussiez venu(s) |
| Ils | sont venus | étaient venus | seront venus | seraient venu | soient venus | fussent venus |
| Passe simple | Past anterior | Imperative | Past imperative | |||
| Je/j | vins | fus venu | ||||
| Tu | vins | fus venu | viens | sois venu | ||
| Il | vint | fus venu | ||||
| Nous | vînmes | fûmes venus | venons | soyons venus | ||
| Vous | vîntes | fûtes venu(s) | venez | soyez venu(s) | ||
| Ils | vinrent | furent venus | ||||
| Participles |
| present: venant |
| past: venu |
| Perfect: étant venu |
| Past infinitive |
| etre venu |
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Passé Récent and Futur Proche
French has some handy verb tenses that rely on “aller” and “venir.” Let’s explore two of them:
Understanding Passé Récent (Recent Past)
The passé récent (recent past) describes actions that just happened. It’s formed by using the present tense of “venir” followed by “de” and the infinitive of another verb. Here, you would notice how the actual meaning of ‘venir’ helps in the formation of the recent past because you are ‘coming’ from the completion of the action.
Here’s the passé récent conjugation:
- Je viens de + infinitif
- Tu viens de + infinitif
- Il/Elle vient de + infinitif
- Nous venons de + infinitif
- Vous venez de + infinitif
- Ils/Elles viennent de + infinitif
Examples:
Je viens de manger. (I have just eaten.)
Elle vient de sortir. (She has just left.)
Understanding Futur Proche (Near Future)
The futur proche (near future) is used for actions happening soon. It’s constructed with the present tense of “aller” followed by the infinitive of another verb. Here, you would notice how the actual meaning of ‘aller’ helps in the formation of the near future because you are ‘going’ to the beginning of the action.
Here’s the conjugation of futur proche:
- Je vais + infinitif
- Tu vas + infinitif
- Il/Elle va + infinitif
- Nous allons + infinitif
- Vous allez + infinitif
- Ils/Elles vont + infinitif
Examples:
Nous allons étudier pour l’examen. (We are going to study for the exam.)
Ils vont regarder un film ce week-end. (They are going to watch a movie this weekend.)
Conclusion
In the exciting journey of learning French, mastering the verbs “aller” and “venir” is like unlocking a treasure chest. These versatile verbs serve as the backbone of communication, allowing you to express movement, actions, and intentions. Keep in mind, it is not easy to memorise it all at once so keep practising and with time and right guidance at La Forêt, you will master it all.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. When to use aller and venir in French?
Ans: Aller means to go and Venir means to come. Aller expresses the movement away from the speaker whereas Venir expresses the movement towards the speaker. Aller is used to express near future plans or intentions and venir is used to express the recently completed actions. To the surprise, Aller is also used to indicate suitability and venir also indicates origin. Remember, context plays a crucial role in choosing between these verbs and their correct sense. Expert guidance available at La foret can help you understand these in depth.
2. How many conjugation tenses are there in French?
Ans: French has 10 indicative tenses that are commonly used in day-to-day language. These tenses allow speakers to express various aspects of time and action.
- Le Présent (The Present)
- Le Passé Composé (The Simple Past)
- L’Imparfait (The Imperfect)
- Le Passé Récent (The Recent Past)
- Le Plus-que-parfait (The Past Perfect)
- Le Futur Proche (The Near Future)
- Le Futur Simple (The Future Simple)
- Le Futur Antérieur (The Future Perfect)
- Le Passé Simple (The Past Historic)
- Le Passé Antérieur (The Anterior Past)
Then, there are 4 different moods.
- Indicative
- Imperative
- Conditional
- Subjunctive
All of the above have their own conjugations.
