Aller & Venir: To Go, To Come

Aller (to go) and venir (to come) are opposite in meaning but both completely irregular, and both do double duty as building blocks for two of the most useful shortcuts in French: talking about the near future and the recent past without touching a single verb tense.

1. Aller: to go

Je vais au marché.	I'm going to the market.
Tu vas à l'école.	You're going to school.
Il va au travail.	He's going to work.
Nous allons à Paris.	We're going to Paris.
Vous allez chez le docteur.	You're going to the doctor's.
Ils vont au cinéma.	They're going to the movies.

2. Venir: to come

Je viens de New York.	I'm from New York.
Tu viens avec nous ?	Are you coming with us?
Elle vient à la fête.	She's coming to the party.
Nous venons chercher les enfants.	We're coming to pick up the kids.
Vous venez d'où ?	Where are you from?
Ils viennent demain.	They're coming tomorrow.

3. Aller + infinitive: the near future (le futur proche)

Conjugate aller, then add an infinitive. No other changes needed. This is the easiest way to talk about what's about to happen.

Je vais manger.	I'm going to eat.
Nous allons partir dans dix minutes.	We're going to leave in ten minutes.
Il va pleuvoir.	It's going to rain.

4. Venir de + infinitive: the recent past (le passé récent)

Conjugate venir, add de (or d' before a vowel sound), then an infinitive. This describes something that just happened.

Je viens de manger.	I just ate.
Elle vient d'arriver.	She just arrived.
Ils viennent de partir.	They just left.

5. Conjugation: present tense

Pronoun	Aller	Venir
je / j'	vais	viens
tu	vas	viens
il / elle / on	va	vient
nous	allons	venons
vous	allez	venez
ils / elles	vont	viennent