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FrenchConjugationImparfait

Aller (to go) · Imparfait

By TutorLily Editorial Team · Last updated

Aller in the French imparfait is: j'allais, tu allais, il/elle/on allait, nous allions, vous alliez, ils/elles allaient. The imparfait of aller is regular, derived from the nous form 'allons': je allais, nous allions. Common uses: habitual past going ('j'allais à l'école') and ongoing past motion interrupted by something ('j'allais sortir quand…').

aller conjugation in the Imparfait
To GoAller
I used to go
j'allais
you used to go
tu allais
he/she used to go
il/elle/on allait
we used to go
nous allions
you used to go
vous alliez
they used to go
ils/elles allaient
Examples

Aller (to go) in context

Sentences that use aller in the imparfait. Tap each to hear it.

Quand j'étais jeune, j'allais à la mer chaque été.

When I was young, I used to go to the sea every summer.

Tu allais où quand je t'ai vu?

Where were you going when I saw you?

Il allait au gymnase tous les matins.

He used to go to the gym every morning.

Nous allions au parc le dimanche.

We used to go to the park on Sundays.

Vous alliez souvent au théâtre avant?

Did you often go to the theater before?

Ils allaient à la même école que nous.

They used to go to the same school as us.

Tip

Working with the imparfait

The imparfait paints the background of a past scene: weather, age, habits, descriptions, ongoing actions that get interrupted. "Il faisait nuit" (it was nighttime), "j'avais cinq ans" (I was five years old), "je marchais quand tu m'as appelé" (I was walking when you called me). The imparfait is almost completely regular — the stem comes from the nous form of the present (nous parlons → je parlais), with only être being truly irregular (j'étais). The contrast with passé composé is the single most important past-tense distinction in French: imparfait = background or habitual; passé composé = completed event.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How do you conjugate aller in the imparfait?
Aller is regular in the imparfait: j'allais, tu allais, il/elle/on allait, nous allions, vous alliez, ils/elles allaient. The stem 'all-' comes from the nous form 'allons' (drop -ons). Despite aller's many other irregularities, the imparfait follows the standard pattern.
When do I use 'j'allais' instead of 'je suis allé'?
Use 'j'allais' for habitual or ongoing past motion: 'chaque été, j'allais à la mer' (every summer, I used to go to the sea). Use 'je suis allé' for a specific completed trip: 'l'été dernier, je suis allé à la mer' (last summer, I went to the sea). 'J'allais' also works for an interrupted motion: 'j'allais sortir quand tu m'as appelé' (I was about to go out when you called me).
What does 'j'allais + infinitive' mean?
'J'allais + infinitive' expresses a past intention that was usually interrupted or never carried out: 'j'allais te dire la même chose' (I was about to tell you the same thing). It's the past-tense version of 'je vais + infinitif' (the going-to future) and is one of the most common ways to talk about plans that didn't happen. The imparfait of aller is the engine for past intention in French.
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More tenses of Aller (To Go)

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Aller (to go) · Passé Composé
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Aller (to go) · Subjonctif

More verbs in imparfait

All tenses
Aller (to go)
imparfait
Être (to be)
imparfait
Avoir (to have)
imparfait
Faire (to do)
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