📖LearnModule 2 · Lesson 4 of 30Basic User · CEFR A1, completedUnit 1 · Le présent — the full present tense
Aller and faire
Module 2 of the free French course (CEFR A1, completed), lesson 4 of 30: Two irregular giants. On this page: 8 words with their genders and respellings, the rule, a watch-out line, the conjugation table and the audio — the study notes behind the workbook's lesson 4.
The words
French
English
Say it
aller
to go
ah-LAY
je vais
I go / I am going
zhuh VEH
il va
he goes
eel VAH
nous allons
we go
noo zah-LOH(n)
faire
to do / to make
fehr
je fais
I do / I make
zhuh FEH
ils font
they do
eel FOH(n)
je vais à l'école
I go to school
zhuh veh zah lay-KOHL
Respellings follow the course’s say-it key; the stressed syllable is in capitals. Print this lesson’s flashcards (PDF) — the words on the front, the English and respelling on the back.
Hear the words
Each word is read twice — say it back in the gap. Computer-generated voice; credits on the course page.
La règle · The rule
Two irregular giants. Aller (to go): je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont. Faire (to do/make): je fais, tu fais, il fait, nous faisons, vous faites, ils font.
Et aussi · And also
Both carry famous phrases: Ça va? is aller in disguise, and the weather runs on faire — il fait beau.
Attention · Watch out
vous faites and ils font break the -er pattern: never vous faisez, never ils faisent. Learn faire whole.
aller — the table
je vais · tu vas · il/elle va · nous allons · vous allez · ils/elles vont
faire — the table
je fais · tu fais · il/elle fait · nous faisons · vous faites · ils/elles font
Do it now — on paper
Say all 8 words aloud twice from the respelling, then once from the French spelling alone — begin with aller.
Copy every word with its accents on paper; then cover the English column and write each meaning back from the French.
Write out aller and faire in full from memory, every person, and check each form against the table above.
This free course is the reading half. The writing half — write-in lessons, daily practice pages with built-in review, self-checks and a full answer key — is the companion workbook series, The French Ladder: one workbook per module, fifteen in all, released band by band with the Basic band (Modules 1–5) first.
Keep these words
Turn this lesson’s words into flashcards, then space your reviews — the two habits the research behind our study guides backs hardest.