Three key verbs
aller (to go), faire (to do, to make) and venir (to come) are among the most common verbs in French. In the present tense they follow no regular pattern, so learn their six forms by heart right away.
aller: to go
Present tense of aller
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | vais |
| tu | vas |
| il/elle/on | va |
| nous | allons |
| vous | allez |
| ils/elles | vont |
aller
The destination follows à: aller à Paris. French has one present tense, so je vais means both “I go” and “I am going”.
aller with a destination
Je vais à Paris.
I am going to Paris.
Nous allons au cinéma.
We are going to the cinema.
Ils vont à l’école.
They go to school.
French also uses aller to ask how someone is.
aller for how you are
Tu vas bien ?
Are you well?
Ça va très bien.
I am doing very well.
faire: to do, to make
Present tense of faire
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | fais |
| tu | fais |
| il/elle/on | fait |
| nous | faisons |
| vous | faites |
| ils/elles | font |
faire
The spelling misleads you when you listen: nous faisons sounds like [fə.zɔ̃] (the “ai” is a weak e), and vous faites sounds like [fɛt].
faire covers both “do” and “make”. In many set phrases English uses a different verb: faire la cuisine means “to cook”, faire les courses “to do the shopping”.
faire in everyday life
Qu’est-ce que tu fais ?
What are you doing?
Nous faisons du sport.
We do sport.
Je fais la cuisine.
I am cooking.
Elles font les courses.
They are doing the shopping.
For the weather French does not say “it is cold” with être but il fait froid. The il here means “it”.
faire for the weather
Il fait beau.
The weather is nice.
Il fait froid.
It is cold.
Il fait chaud.
It is hot.
venir: to come
With je, tu, il and ils the stem is vien-; with nous and vous it is ven-.
Present tense of venir
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | viens |
| tu | viens |
| il/elle/on | vient |
| nous | venons |
| vous | venez |
| ils/elles | viennent |
venir
venir for “to come”
Tu viens avec moi ?
Are you coming with me?
Elle vient demain.
She is coming tomorrow.
Where someone comes from follows de: venir de Berlin means “to come from Berlin”.
venir with a place of origin
Je viens de Berlin.
I come from Berlin.
Ils viennent de France.
They come from France.
