aller + Infinitive

Near Future with Aller + Infinitive

Level 1

The futur proche (near future) is used for actions that are about to happen or are planned. It is formed by:
aller (present tense) + infinitive verb.

How It Works

The futur proche is the most common way to express the future in spoken French.

1. Formation:
To form it, you must conjugate the verb aller in the present tense and add the infinitive of the action verb.

  • Je vais manger (I am going to eat)
  • Tu vas partir (You are going to leave)
  • Il/Elle/On va regarder (He/She/One is going to watch)

2. Usage:
It is used for imminent events or certain plans. Note that using 'aller' twice (e.g., Je vais aller...) is standard French and not considered redundant. It simply means 'I am going to go'.

3. Negation:
In negative sentences, the ne...pas goes around the conjugated verb aller. In casual conversation, the ne is frequently dropped: Je vais pas manger.

4. Pronoun Placement:
If you use an object pronoun or a reflexive pronoun, it must be placed immediately before the infinitive. Reflexive pronouns must still agree with the subject.
Example: Je vais me coucher (I am going to go to bed) vs Tu vas te coucher (You are going to go to bed).

Examples (6)

  1. Attention, tu vas tomber !

    Watch out, you're going to fall!

    Word by Word: Attention, you go to fall!

    Used here for an imminent event based on immediate evidence.

  2. Ce soir, nous allons dîner au restaurant.

    Tonight, we are going to have dinner at a restaurant.

    Word by Word: This evening, we go to dine at the restaurant.

    Used for a specific, settled plan for the near future.

  3. Je vais me laver les mains.

    I am going to wash my hands.

    Word by Word: I go myself to wash the hands.

    With reflexive verbs, the pronoun must agree with the subject (me) and sits before the infinitive.

  4. Est-ce que vous allez aller au cinéma ?

    Are you going to go to the cinema?

    Word by Word: [Question marker] you go to go to the cinema?

    It is perfectly normal to use 'aller' twice: once as the conjugated verb and once as the infinitive.

  5. Je vais pas sortir ce week-end.

    I'm not going to go out this weekend.

    Word by Word: I go [neg] to go out this week-end.

    In casual speech, the 'ne' is often dropped, leaving only 'pas' after the conjugated verb.

  6. Je vais lui en parler demain.

    I am going to talk to him about it tomorrow.

    Word by Word: I go to him of it to speak tomorrow.

    Notice how the pronouns 'lui' and 'en' are placed right before the infinitive 'parler'.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding 'à' between aller and the infinitive.

    Je vais à manger.
    Je vais manger.

    English speakers often try to translate 'going TO eat' literally. In French, no preposition is needed between 'aller' and the infinitive.

  • Placing object pronouns before 'aller'.

    Je le vais faire.
    Je vais le faire.

    Object pronouns must be placed immediately before the verb they modify, which is the infinitive in this construction.

  • Using 'me' when you mean 'you will wash yourself'.

    Different MeaningTu vas me laver.
    Tu vas te laver.

    'Tu vas me laver' is correct French, but it means 'You are going to wash me'. For 'you will wash yourself', the reflexive pronoun must match the subject: 'Tu vas te laver.'

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

aller + InfinitiveLevel 1Near Future with Aller + Infinitive

Learn This First

To form the futur proche, you must first learn the present tense conjugation of the irregular verb 'aller' (to go). You also need to understand how subject pronouns function and how basic sentences are structured, as this pattern combines a conjugated verb with an infinitive.

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Words in This Pattern

aller