Learn how to use the French verb aller
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Jason: Getting Lost in France! C’est Jason. Jason here! |
| Ingrid: Bonjour à tous, Ingrid here! |
| Jason: In this lesson, you’re going to learn how to use one of the most important French verbs : aller which means “to go”. |
| Ingrid: Yes Jason, by learning the usage of the expression “Je vais à” which is the equivalent of “I’m going to.” you will also learn how to say “I’m lost” or “I’m going by foot”. |
| Jason: After this lesson, you will be able to say where you’re going, how you’re going and who is going with you. So Ingrid, what's happening in our conversation? |
| Ingrid: Our dialog will take place in the streets. One of the characters, Karine, is going somewhere, but unfortunately she got lost. She’s asking for directions from a stranger, so they will be speaking in formal French. |
| Jason: Okay so let’s listen to this dialog! |
| DIALOGUE |
| 1st time: natural native speed: |
| [Dans une rue] |
| Karine: Excusez-moi monsieur, je vais à cette adresse mais je suis perdue! |
| L'inconnu: Quelle coïncidence! Je vais justement au même endroit, nous pouvons y aller ensemble? |
| Karine: Pourquoi pas, vous y allez aussi à pied? |
| L'inconnu: Non j'y vais en métro, c'est plus rapide! |
| Karine: Et bien allons-y ensemble ! |
| (1 time slowly) |
| [Dans une rue] |
| Karine: Excusez-moi monsieur, je vais à cette adresse mais je suis perdue! |
| L'inconnu: Quelle coïncidence! Je vais justement au même endroit, nous pouvons y aller ensemble? |
| Karine: Pourquoi pas, vous y allez aussi à pied? |
| L'inconnu: Non j'y vais en métro, c'est plus rapide! |
| Karine: Et bien allons-y ensemble ! |
| (1 time natural native speed with the translation) |
| [Dans une rue] |
| Karine: Excusez-moi monsieur, je vais à cette adresse mais je suis perdue! |
| Excuse me Sir. I’m going to this address but I am lost. |
| L'inconnu: Quelle coïncidence! Je vais justement au même endroit, nous pouvons y aller ensemble? |
| What a coincidence! I’m just going to this place too, we can go together? |
| Karine: Pourquoi pas, vous y allez aussi à pied? |
| Why not, are you going there on foot too? |
| L'inconnu: Non j'y vais en métro, c'est plus rapide! |
| No, I’m going there by metro, it’s faster! |
| Karine: Et bien allons-y ensemble ! |
| So, let’s go there together! |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Ingrid: So, Jason, do you get lost a lot? |
| Jason: Not so much, I’m like a human GPS, I have a good sense of direction. |
| Ingrid: You’re lucky. But for those you don’t, finding an address in France is kind of easy |
| Jason: Really? |
| Ingrid: Yes. Firstly, because French cities are not very big. Also, you will find the name of the streets written on the walls at each crossroads. |
| Jason: And what about the numbers of buildings? |
| Ingrid: It’s also written on each gate and they always follow the same rule : Odd-numbered on one side and evens on the other, by growing order. |
| Jason: So if it’s number 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12…on the left for example, it will be number 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15…on the right side. |
| Ingrid: Exactly, as simple as you say. |
| Jason: Great, I’ll check that during my next trip to Paris. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Okay, so now, let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| The first expression we shall see is: |
| Next: |
| Je suis perdu [natural native speed] |
| Meaning “I am lost” |
| Je suis perdu [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Je suis perdu [natural native spee] |
| Next: |
| Justement [natural native speed] |
| Meaning “just, precisely” |
| Justement [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Justement [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| Au même endroit [natural native speed] |
| Meaning “at the same place” |
| Au même endroit [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Au même endroit [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| Ensemble [natural native speed] |
| Meaning “together” |
| Ensemble [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ensemble [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| Pourquoi pas [natural native speed] |
| Meaning “why not” |
| Pourquoi pas [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Pourquoi pas [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| À pied [natural native speed] |
| Meaning “by foot” |
| À pied [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| À pied [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| Rapide [natural native speed] |
| Meaning “fast” |
| Rapide [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Rapide [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| Allons-y [natural native speed] |
| Meaning “let’s go” |
| Allons-y [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Allons-y [natural native speed] |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| Let's have a closer look at the usage for some of interesting words and sentences in this lesson. |
| Jason: The first expression is? |
| Ingrid: It is “Je suis perdu” that means “I am lost” |
| Jason: Could you say it again slowly for our listeners? |
| Ingrid: (Slowly) « Je suis perdu» |
| Jason: And now at natural speed |
| Ingrid: (Natural speed) « Je suis perdu » |
| Jason: Okay, what is the next expression? |
| Ingrid: ”Justement”, slowly “jus-te-ment”… I can be used in 3 different situations |
| Jason: Which are? |
| Ingrid: The first one is the same as in the dialog, and it means “at this moment” and can be translated as “just” : ”Je parlais justement de toi, I was just talking about you”. |
| In the second situation, you will use “justement” to insist on something and its translation is “precisely”: “C’est justement ce que tu aurais dû faire," – it’s precisely what you should have done”. |
| Jason: And what about the last situation? |
| Ingrid: It means ‘rightly’ or ‘correctly’: “tu as répondu à cette question très justement, you answer this question very correctly.” |
| Jason: Ok, so the next expression is the equivalent of “why not”, isn’t it? |
| Ingrid: Exactly, in French we say “Pourquoi pas ?” You can use it when someone asks you if you want to do something but be careful, it will be considered a positive answer |
| Jason: Great, so what is next? |
| Ingrid: Next is the expression “à pied” that means “by foot”. You will always use it with the verb “aller”. |
| Jason: Do you have an example? |
| Ingrid: Sure: if you go to work on foot, you will say : “je vais au travail à pied” |
| Jason: The next one is an adjective… |
| Ingrid: And a useful one, you will come across it often : it’s “rapide”, “ra-pi-de” and it means “fast”. It is written and pronounced the same way whether masculine or feminine. |
| Jason: So what is last interesting expression in the dialog? |
| Ingrid: Last is “allons-y”, the equivalent of “let’s go”. It’s the verb “aller” plus the pronoun “y”, don’t forget the liaison between those two : “allonZZZy” |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Jason: So today’s grammar will be: how to use the French for “I’m going to” |
| Ingrid: Yes, a very useful expression. The translation is “je vais à” ou “je vais au” |
| Jason: there are two expressions ? |
| Ingrid: Not really but it depends on the place you’re going to… if this location is masculine you will say “Je vais au + noun”. If the place is feminine, it’s “je vais à la + noun” |
| Jason: Ok so what about a restaurant ? |
| Ingrid: “restaurant” is a masculine word : ”LE restaurant, UN restaurant” so you will say « Je vaisau restaurant ». |
| Jason: And, usually, I’m not going to the restaurant alone, how do you say that some friends are going with you? |
| Ingrid: Two choices: If we are speaking of one person, Marc for example, you will use the preposition “avec” which means “with” |
| « Marc va au restaurant avec une amie / Marc is going to the restaurant with a friend » |
| If we are speaking of more than one person, you can use the word “ensemble”, the equivalent of “together”. If you're talking about Marc and Amélie : Marc et Amélie vont au restaurant ensemble / Marc and Amélie are going to the restaurant together |
| Jason: Ok, can we have an example with a feminine word? |
| Ingrid: Of course. The rule is: If the place is feminine, it’s “je vais à la + noun”. In french, a “swimming pool” is a feminine word: “la piscine, une piscine”. Speaking to Jason, I would say : tu vas à la piscine |
| Jason: And if you’re coming with me ? |
| Ingrid: « tu vas à la piscine avec moi » or « nous allons à la piscine ensemble » |
| Jason: Okay, so now let’s take a look on how we’re going somewhere. |
| Ingrid: In the dialog, there were two examples: “à pied, en métro”, which means “by foot, by metro”. |
| You have to be careful with the preposition after the verb “aller”. Whereas in English you always use “by”, in French it could be “à”, “en”. |
| Jason: How do we know which one is the good one ? |
| Ingrid: Ask yourself : can I get inside this thing ? |
| If yes, you will use “en” I can get into a car, a train, so they need “en”. |
| If the answer is “not really”, as for a bike or a motorcycle, you use “à” or “en”. “À vélo” or “en vélo” |
| If no, you will use “à” as in “à pied/by foot” |
| Jason, for a plane, will I use “à” or “en”? |
| Jason: I can get inside a plane so, I guess I will use “en” |
| Ingrid: Great. Here is an example: “Je vais au Japon en avion / I’m going to Japan by plane” |
| Jason: Ok, and now tell me how I can use the equivalent of the famous English expression “let’s go”? |
| Ingrid: it can be translate by “allons-y” or “on y va”, which is more familiar. You need to have the pronoun “y”: it expresses the place you are going to. |
| Jason: do you have an example? |
| Ingrid: Yes. Marc and Amélie again. Amélie can say : « Marc, je suis prête, allons-y ! » / Marc, i’m ready, let’s go ! » |
| Jason: Great so now you know how to use basic expressions with the verb “aller”! |
Outro |
| Ingrid: Absolutely, see you very soon for the next lesson, à bientôt! |
| Jason: See you everyone, à bientôt! |
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