Talking About Going Places in French

In this article, we learn how to talk about where you’ve been and where you’re going next in French.

These sentences are perfect for sharing your travel stories or explaining your plans – whether you’re chatting with French friends or booking your next trip.

Sentence Builder: Useful Phrases and Mini Dialogues

• Tu es allé(e) où en vacances ?
  → Where did you go on holiday?
• Je suis allé(e) en Italie avec ma famille.
  → I went to Italy with my family.
• Nous sommes allés en Allemagne en train.
  → We went to Germany by train.
• Je vais aller au Canada l’année prochaine.
  → I’m going to go to Canada next year.
• Ils vont aller en Turquie en été.
  → They’re going to go to Turkey in summer.

Grammar Tip: Using “aller” and the Perfect Tense

1. The Verb “aller” (to go)

The verb aller is used to talk about going somewhere.
In the present tense, it’s also part of the near future (“going to do something”).

Subject	Present tense	Example
je	vais	Je vais en France. – I’m going to France.
tu	vas	Tu vas à Paris ? – Are you going to Paris?
il / elle	va	Elle va en Espagne. – She’s going to Spain.
nous	allons	Nous allons au Mexique. – We’re going to Mexico.
vous	allez	Vous allez en Grèce ? – Are you going to Greece?
ils / elles	vont	Ils vont au Canada. – They’re going to Canada.

2. Talking About the Past: “Je suis allé(e)”

To say where you went, French uses the passé composé with être (not avoir) as the auxiliary verb:

Je suis allé(e) + [place] → I went to [place]

The ending changes for gender:

• Je suis allé (male speaker)
• Je suis allée (female speaker)

Examples:

• Je suis allé en France. (male)
• Je suis allée au Danemark. (female)
• Nous sommes allés en Allemagne. (we went to Germany)

➡️ Remember: verbs of movement (like aller, venir, arriver) always take être in compound tenses.

3. Talking About the Future: “Je vais aller”

To say you’re going to go, use the near future tense:

aller (present) + infinitive

Example:

• Je vais aller au Canada. → I’m going to go to Canada.
• Ils vont aller en Turquie. → They’re going to go to Turkey.

This structure is simple and very common in spoken French — easy to form and perfect for travel plans.

Cultural Note: How the French Talk About Travel

Travel is a favourite topic in France — especially at the start of summer (les grandes vacances).
It’s common to ask:

• Tu es parti(e) où ? → Where did you go?
• Tu vas où cet été ? → Where are you going this summer?

Many French people travel by car or train, often saying:

• On part en voiture. → We’re going by car.
• On va en train jusqu’à Lyon. → We’re going by train to Lyon.

Practice Tip

Try writing or saying three sentences about your holidays — one in the past, one in the present, and one in the future:

• Je suis allé(e) en Italie l’année dernière.
• Je suis en France maintenant.
• Je vais aller en Espagne le mois prochain.

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