Goal
You’ll be able to conjugate three of the most frequently used irregular verbs in French, and understand why these specific verbs genuinely need direct memorization.
Learn
Aller (to go), faire (to do/make), and avoir (to have, covered in Part 1.4) are among the most commonly used French verbs, and aller and faire are genuinely irregular, not following the -er/-ir/-re patterns at all:
aller (to go): vais, vas, va, allons, allez, vont faire (to do/make): fais, fais, fait, faisons, faites, font
Notice aller specifically — despite ending in -er like the regular family from Lesson 1, its conjugation is completely different and genuinely irregular, a real trap for beginners who might assume the -er ending guarantees regular conjugation.
Aller also has a genuinely important additional role beyond its own meaning: aller + infinitive expresses the near future, similar to English “going to” — je vais manger (I’m going to eat), a genuinely useful, common construction covered further in Part 5.1.
Decision Task
You see that aller ends in -er, and assume it must be a regular -er verb like parler. Before reading on: is this assumption correct?
Show Answer
No — despite its -er ending, aller is genuinely irregular, with forms like vais, vas, va that don’t follow the regular -er pattern at all. This is exactly the trap this lesson warns about: an -er ending doesn’t guarantee regular conjugation.
Common Mistake
Assuming any verb ending in -er must be regular, simply because -er is the largest regular family. Aller genuinely disproves this assumption — it ends in -er but is completely irregular, requiring direct memorization like any other irregular verb.
Practice Questions
1. Conjugate aller for “je”.
Show Answer
vais
2. Conjugate faire for “nous”.
Show Answer
faisons
3. Why is aller a genuine trap for beginners, despite ending in -er?
Show Answer
Its -er ending might suggest regular conjugation, but it’s actually completely irregular, following its own distinct pattern.
4. What does aller + infinitive express, beyond its own literal meaning?
Show Answer
The near future, similar to English “going to” (e.g., je vais manger, “I’m going to eat”).
5. What is the “ils” form of faire?
Show Answer
font
Try It Yourself
Without looking back, conjugate aller for “ils” and explain in one sentence why you can’t derive this form from the regular -er pattern.
Show Answer
vont — this can’t be derived from the regular -er pattern (which would predict something like “allent”) because aller is genuinely irregular, following its own specific, unpredictable conjugation.
Quick Check
1. What does aller mean?
Show Answer
To go.
2. What does faire mean?
Show Answer
To do/make.
3. Is aller regular or irregular, despite ending in -er?
Show Answer
Irregular.
4. What is the “je” form of aller?
Show Answer
vais
5. What construction using aller expresses the near future?
Show Answer
aller + infinitive