The Verbs Aller and (Re)venir
4.7.1. The Main Idea
The verbs aller and venir describe movement.
aller | to go |
venir | to come |
revenir | to come back / to return |
Use aller when someone is going to a place.
Use venir when someone is coming from or toward a place.
Use revenir when someone is coming back.
4.7.2. The Verb Aller
je vais | I go / I am going |
tu vas | you go / you are going, informal |
il va | he goes / he is going |
elle va | she goes / she is going |
nous allons | we go / we are going |
vous allez | you go / you are going, formal or plural |
ils vont | they go / they are going, masculine or mixed |
elles vont | they go / they are going, feminine |
4.7.3. The Verb Venir
je viens | I come / I am coming |
tu viens | you come / you are coming, informal |
il vient | he comes / he is coming |
elle vient | she comes / she is coming |
nous venons | we come / we are coming |
vous venez | you come / you are coming, formal or plural |
ils viennent | they come / they are coming, masculine or mixed |
elles viennent | they come / they are coming, feminine |
4.7.4. The Verb Revenir
je reviens | I come back / I am coming back |
tu reviens | you come back / you are coming back, informal |
il revient | he comes back / he is coming back |
elle revient | she comes back / she is coming back |
nous revenons | we come back / we are coming back |
vous revenez | you come back / you are coming back, formal or plural |
ils reviennent | they come back / they are coming back, masculine or mixed |
elles reviennent | they come back / they are coming back, feminine |
4.7.5. Aller Ă : Going To a Place
Use aller Ă to say someone is going to a place.
Je vais Ă lâuniversitĂ©. | I am going to the university. |
Tu vas au café ? | Are you going to the café? |
Il va au restaurant. | He is going to the restaurant. |
Elle va Ă la maison. | She is going home / to the house. |
Nous allons en classe. | We are going to class. |
Vous allez à la réunion ? | Are you going to the meeting? |
Ils vont au cours. | They are going to class. |
4.7.6. Venir de: Coming From a Place
Use venir de to say someone is coming from a place.
Je viens de Calgary. | I come from Calgary. |
Tu viens de Beijing ? | Do you come from Beijing? |
Il vient du Canada. | He comes from Canada. |
Elle vient de Chine. | She comes from China. |
Nous venons de lâuniversitĂ©. | We are coming from the university. |
Vous venez du café ? | Are you coming from the café? |
Ils viennent du restaurant. | They are coming from the restaurant. |
4.7.7. Revenir de: Coming Back From a Place
Use revenir de to say someone is coming back from a place.
Je reviens du cours. | I am coming back from class. |
Tu reviens de lâuniversitĂ© ? | Are you coming back from the university? |
Il revient du café. | He is coming back from the café. |
Elle revient de la maison. | She is coming back from the house. |
Nous revenons du restaurant. | We are coming back from the restaurant. |
Vous revenez de la réunion ? | Are you coming back from the meeting? |
4.7.8. Ă Forms
Ă + le = au | to the, masculine singular |
Ă + la = Ă la | to the, feminine singular |
Ă + lâ = Ă lâ | to the, before vowel sound |
Ă + les = aux | to the, plural |
au café | to the café |
Ă la maison | to the house / home |
Ă lâuniversitĂ© | to the university |
aux Ătats-Unis | to the United States |
4.7.9. De Forms
de + le = du | from the, masculine singular |
de + la = de la | from the, feminine singular |
de + lâ = de lâ | from the, before vowel sound |
de + les = des | from the, plural |
du café | from the café |
de la maison | from the house |
de lâuniversitĂ© | from the university |
des Ătats-Unis | from the United States |
4.7.10. Questions with Aller and Venir
Tu vas oĂč ? | Where are you going? |
Vous allez oĂč ? | Where are you going? formal or plural |
Tu viens dâoĂč ? | Where are you from? / Where are you coming from? |
Vous venez dâoĂč ? | Where are you from? / Where are you coming from? formal or plural |
Tu reviens dâoĂč ? | Where are you coming back from? |
Vous revenez dâoĂč ? | Where are you coming back from? formal or plural |
4.7.11. Core Patterns
aller Ă | to go to |
venir de | to come from |
revenir de | to come back from |
Je vais Ă ___ . | I am going to ___ . |
Je viens de ___ . | I come from ___ . / I am coming from ___ . |
Je reviens de ___ . | I am coming back from ___ . |
4.7.12. Practice
I am going to the café. |
You are going to the university. informal |
He is going to the restaurant. |
We are going to class. |
I come from Calgary. |
She comes from China. |
They are coming from the restaurant. masculine or mixed |
I am coming back from class. |
Where are you going? informal |
Where are you coming from? informal |
4.7.13. Answers
I am going to the café. | Je vais au café. |
You are going to the university. informal | Tu vas Ă lâuniversitĂ©. |
He is going to the restaurant. | Il va au restaurant. |
We are going to class. | Nous allons en classe. |
I come from Calgary. | Je viens de Calgary. |
She comes from China. | Elle vient de Chine. |
They are coming from the restaurant. masculine or mixed | Ils viennent du restaurant. |
I am coming back from class. | Je reviens du cours. |
Where are you going? informal | Tu vas oĂč ? |
Where are you coming from? informal | Tu viens dâoĂč ? |
4.7.14. Short Dialogue
A : Tu vas oĂč ? | A: Where are you going? |
B : Je vais au café. Et toi ? | B: I am going to the café. And you? |
A : Je reviens du cours. | A: I am coming back from class. |
B : Dâaccord. Ă plus ! | B: Okay. See you later! |
4.7.15. Checkpoint
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to conjugate aller, venir, and revenir, say where someone is going with aller Ă , say where someone is coming from with venir de, and recognize forms such as au, Ă la, Ă lâ, du, de la, and de lâ.
4.7.16. Try It Out
Try saying this in French:
Where are you going?
Iâm going to the cafĂ©.
Possible answer:
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