Mission: make weekend plans with your neighbour
Aller, faire and the near future. Two everyday irregular verbs, au and aux, and how to talk about plans with aller + infinitive.
FrenchA1 · Everyday lifeAbout 6 min: 2 reading, 4 practiceUpdated
- Say all six present forms of aller and faire
- Use au, à la, à l' and aux after aller
- Talk about plans with aller + infinitive
- Use faire for activities and the weather
Everyday life: lesson 4 of 5
- A1 · Numbers and prices
- Mission: understand a price and a phone number 5 min
- A1 · Everyday life
- Mission: read the opening hours and plan your swim 6 min
- Mission: find out about a new club member 4 min
- Mission: make weekend plans with your neighbour 6 min
- Mission: find the tourist office 5 min
Try first
You haven't learned this yet, so guess. Guessing before you read helps the explanation stick. Nothing here is scored.
Already know this? Take a 3-question check and skip ahead.
Get all three right and the lesson is marked done.
Level Level A1 (around the DELF A1 exam). Real French: making plans for the weekend with a neighbour.
What it is
Your mission: your neighbour Chloé stops you on the stairs: « Qu'est-ce que vous allez faire ce week-end ? ». Tell her three plans with aller + infinitive, where you are going, and one thing you like to do (faire).
Aller (to go) and faire (to do, make) are irregular: learn them by heart.
| aller | faire | |
|---|---|---|
| je | vais | fais |
| tu | vas | fais |
| il / elle / on | va | fait |
| nous | allons | faisons |
| vous | allez | faites |
| ils / elles | vont | font |
Going to a place: à + the article. À joins with le and les:
| Example | |
|---|---|
| à + le → au | Je vais au cinéma. |
| à + la | Je vais à la piscine. |
| à + l' | Je vais à l'école. |
| à + les → aux | Je vais aux États-Unis. |
For a town, just à: Je vais à Lyon.
The near future: aller + infinitive. Use the present of aller, then the verb in its dictionary form:
- Je vais visiter Rome. I'm going to visit Rome.
- Nous allons manger au restaurant. We're going to eat at the restaurant.
Faire is used for many activities and for the weather:
- faire du sport, faire de la natation, faire les courses (do the shopping)
- Il fait beau. (It's nice weather.) Il fait chaud / froid. (It's hot / cold.)
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
« Je vais … cinéma. »
- à + le always becomes au
- cinéma is masculine
Show answer
au. à + le → au.
Why it matters
"What are you doing this weekend?" is one of the most common questions in French. Aller + infinitive is the easiest way to talk about the future at A1.
Worked example
Your weekend plans, as you tell Chloé:
- Samedi, je vais faire les courses. Ensuite, je vais au marché avec ma sœur. On Saturday I'm going to do the shopping. Then I'm going to the market with my sister.
- Dimanche, s'il fait beau, nous allons faire du vélo. On Sunday, if the weather's nice, we're going to go cycling.
- Le soir, mes amis vont au cinéma. Moi, je vais rester à la maison. In the evening my friends are going to the cinema. I'm going to stay at home.
Real French: cinéma is usually shortened to ciné: On va au ciné ? In speech people also use the near future far more than the simple future, and on for nous: On va faire les courses.
Common mistake
Writing à le or à les: wrong: Je vais à le cinéma. They always join: au cinéma, aux États-Unis. (À la and à l' stay as they are.)
Also, in the near future only aller changes; the second verb stays in the infinitive: nous allons manger, not wrong: nous allons mangeons.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
« Ils … partir demain. » (They are going to leave tomorrow.)
- vais is the je form
- font is faire, not aller
Show answer
vont. ils vont + infinitive.
Key terms
- aller
- to go
- faire
- to do, to make
- au, à la, à l', aux
- to the (à + article)
- aller + infinitive
- going to (near future)
- faire du sport
- to do sport
- il fait beau / chaud / froid
- it's nice / hot / cold
- faire les courses
- to do the shopping
Practise the key terms
Tap a card to turn it over. 7 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| aller | to go |
| faire | to do, to make |
| au, à la, à l', aux | to the (à + article) |
| aller + infinitive | going to (near future) |
| faire du sport | to do sport |
| il fait beau / chaud / froid | it's nice / hot / cold |
| faire les courses | to do the shopping |
Practice
Recognition drill
Pick the right answer, as fast as you can.
All pairs
Tap a card to turn it over. 8 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| vais | je |
| vas | tu |
| allons | nous |
| allez | vous |
| vont | ils / elles |
| faisons | nous |
| faites | vous |
| font | ils / elles |
Quick quiz
Tap an answer to check it.
« Vous … du sport ? »
- faire is irregular: vous faites
- That is il / elle
Show answer
faites. vous faites.
Which says "I'm going to eat at home"?
- The second verb stays in the infinitive: manger
- aller comes first, then the infinitive
Show answer
Je vais manger à la maison.. aller (conjugated) + infinitive.
Sort it
au, à la, à l' or aux?
le marché
à + leShow answer
au. à + le
la gare
feminineShow answer
à la. feminine
l'hôtel
before a vowel soundShow answer
à l'. before a vowel sound
les toilettes
à + lesShow answer
aux. à + les
le parc
à + leShow answer
au. à + le
Practise speaking
Studyfern has no voice tools of its own. To practise out loud, copy this prompt into a voice-capable AI assistant and talk with it.
Mission role-play. You are Chloé, my friendly French neighbour, chatting on the stairs, at level A1. Speak slowly and clearly. Use only these words and patterns: qu'est-ce que vous allez faire, ce week-end, samedi, dimanche, je vais, nous allons, aller + infinitive, faire du sport, faire les courses, faire du vélo, il fait beau, il fait chaud, il fait froid, au cinéma, au marché, au parc, à la piscine, à la gare, à la maison, à l'école, rester, manger, visiter, avec, et. Ask me one question at a time about my plans for the weekend and my hobbies. After each answer, tell me what kind of mistake I made, if any, and let me try again; watch au / à la / aux and the infinitive after aller. When I have told you three plans, where I am going and one thing I like to do, say « Mission accomplie ! » and give me one tip. Keep every reply under 2 sentences. Ask 8 questions. Explain corrections in English.
Listen too. Listen to native speakers before and after: see the free listening and shadowing links.
Good to know. AI feedback on pronunciation is hit and miss, so check yourself against native recordings. Many assistants turn your speech into text first, so a vowel or liaison you got wrong may be silently “heard” as the right word. Don't share personal details: use a made-up name and town.
New to this? Read Practising speaking with an AI.
In short
- aller: vais, vas, va, allons, allez, vont.
- faire: fais, fais, fait, faisons, faites, font.
- à + le = au; à + les = aux; à la and à l' stay.
- Near future: aller + infinitive (je vais partir).
- faire for activities and weather: il fait beau.
Mastery check
Answer without looking back. Score 80% or more and the lesson is marked done. Your result is kept only in this browser.
Check yourself
Answer in your head first, then open the answer. Nothing is saved.
How do you say "We're going to the station"?
Show answer
Nous allons à la gare.
How do you say "They are going to visit Paris"?
Show answer
Ils vont visiter Paris.
What is « vous » with faire?
Show answer
vous faites.
Further reading
- RFI, Journal en français facile: listen for je vais / on va + infinitive when people talk about what they are about to do.
- TV5MONDE, Apprendre le français, free A1 exercises on hobbies and plans.
Finished? Mark it done to fill in your leaf on the French map.