aller
Translingual
Noun
aller
See also
- Translingual: en garde, prêt, aller
- French: En garde! Prêts? Allez!
Dutch
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɑ.lər/
Audio (file) - Hyphenation: al‧ler
French
Alternative forms
- vader (Acadia, Louisiana)
Etymology
A suppletive verb; Latin vadere supplies the present tense, while īre supplies the future and conditional. The all- forms derive from Middle French aller, from Old French aler (with subjunctive aill- and other forms with all-), from Early Medieval Latin alāre (attested in the Reichenau Glosses), further origin is obscure, although it was traditionally explained being derived from Latin ambulāre (see below). Cognates include Franco-Provençal allar and Friulian lâ (“to go”).
Many explanations have been proposed for the etymology of this all- stem but none has met with a unanimous agreement among philologists. The all- stem has traditionally been explained as deriving from Latin ambulāre via or together with ambler (compare Old Occitan amblar, Italian ambiare, Romanian umbla), but this explanation is phonologically problematic; ambler is additionally more likely a borrowing from Old Occitan. Several theories have been put forth since the 17th century to explain how ambulāre could have become aller.[1]
Since at least the 18th century, some have suggested that aller derives not from Latin but from Celtic,[2][3] from Proto-Celtic zero grade *ɸal-. Compare Welsh elwyf (“I may go”), Cornish ellev (“I may go”), from full grade *ɸel- (see mynd for more).
Another theory was proposed in 1934 by E.F. Parker,[4] suggesting that aller derives from Late Latin *allāre which would have been back-formed from allātum, past participle of afferre (“bring”). The idiomatic phrase allātum esse (“to be brought”) is recorded in Classical Latin with a meaning derivation from being brought to to have been to, in which the past participle *allātus would have been taken as meaning to go and would have then inspired a new infinitive *allāre.
Verb
aller
- to go [+ à (location) = to]
- Je vais au magasin. ― I'm going to the store.
- On y va. ― Let's go.
- to attend (school, church regularly) [+ à (object)]
- aller à l’école ― to attend school
- (when followed by an infinitive verb) to be going (to); will soon; forms a near-future tense
- Il allait visiter sa famille. ― He was going to visit his family.
- Je vais aller au magasin. ― I will go to the store.
- (when followed by an adverb) to be (feeling)
- J’espère que tu vas bien. ― I hope you are well.
- Tout ira bien ― All will be well.
- to go well [+ avec (object) = with (clothes, colors, etc.)]
- to suit [+ à (someone)]
- Cette robe te va bien ! ― That dress suits you well!
- to be X-proof (to be suitable for use in an appliance without running the risk of being damaged in the process) [+ à (object)]
- aller au four ― to be ovenproof
- aller au micro-ondes ― to be microwave safe
- aller au lave-vaisselle ― to be dishwasher proof
Conjugation
The verb aller has a unique and highly irregular conjugation. The second-person singular imperative va additionally combines with y to form vas-y instead of the expected va-y.
infinitive | simple | aller | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
compound | être + past participle | ||||||
present participle or gerund1 | simple | allant /a.lɑ̃/ | |||||
compound | étant + past participle | ||||||
past participle | allé /a.le/ | ||||||
singular | plural | ||||||
first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
indicative | je (j’) | tu | il, elle, on | nous | vous | ils, elles | |
(simple tenses) |
present | vais /vɛ/ |
vas /va/ |
va /va/ |
allons /a.lɔ̃/ |
allez /a.le/ |
vont /vɔ̃/ |
imperfect | allais /a.lɛ/ |
allais /a.lɛ/ |
allait /a.lɛ/ |
allions /a.ljɔ̃/ |
alliez /a.lje/ |
allaient /a.lɛ/ | |
past historic2 | allai /ale/ |
allas /ala/ |
alla /ala/ |
allâmes /alam/ |
allâtes /alat/ |
allèrent /alɛʁ/ | |
future | irai /i.ʁe/ |
iras /i.ʁa/ |
ira /i.ʁa/ |
irons /i.ʁɔ̃/ |
irez /i.ʁe/ |
iront /i.ʁɔ̃/ | |
conditional | irais /i.ʁɛ/ |
irais /i.ʁɛ/ |
irait /i.ʁɛ/ |
irions /i.ʁjɔ̃/ |
iriez /i.ʁje/ |
iraient /i.ʁɛ/ | |
(compound tenses) |
present perfect | present indicative of être + past participle | |||||
pluperfect | imperfect indicative of être + past participle | ||||||
past anterior2 | past historic of être + past participle | ||||||
future perfect | future of être + past participle | ||||||
conditional perfect | conditional of être + past participle | ||||||
subjunctive | que je (j’) | que tu | qu’il, qu’elle | que nous | que vous | qu’ils, qu’elles | |
(simple tenses) |
present | aille /aj/ |
ailles /aj/ |
aille /aj/ |
allions /a.ljɔ̃/ |
alliez /a.lje/ |
aillent /aj/ |
imperfect2 | allasse /alas/ |
allasses /alas/ |
allât /ala/ |
allassions /ala.sjɔ̃/ |
allassiez /ala.sje/ |
allassent /alas/ | |
(compound tenses) |
past | present subjunctive of être + past participle | |||||
pluperfect2 | imperfect subjunctive of être + past participle | ||||||
imperative | – | – | – | ||||
simple | — | va /va/ |
— | allons /a.lɔ̃/ |
allez /a.le/ |
— | |
compound | — | simple imperative of être + past participle | — | simple imperative of être + past participle | simple imperative of être + past participle | — | |
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en. | |||||||
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way:
(Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81). |
Derived terms
- à la va-vite
- à tout va
- à tout-va
- aller à Canossa
- aller à l’essentiel
- aller à vau-l’eau
- aller au lit
- aller aux putes
- aller bon train
- aller comme un gant
- aller de Charybde en Scylla
- aller de l’avant
- aller de pair
- aller de soi
- aller droit dans le mur
- aller et venir
- aller plus vite que la musique
- aller sans dire
- aller se faire enculer
- aller se faire foutre
- aller se faire mettre
- aller se faire voir
- aller se faire voir chez les Grecs
- aller son petit bonhomme de chemin
- aller vite en besogne
- allez savoir
- allez voir là-bas si j’y suis
- ça ira
- ça te va bien
- ça va ?
- cela va sans dire
- comment allez-vous ?
- comment vas-tu ?
- faire aller
- ne pas y aller par quatre chemins
- rien ne va plus
- si la montagne ne va pas à toi, va à la montagne
- s’en aller
- va banque
- va savoir
- va savoir pourquoi
- y aller
Descendants
- Haitian Creole: ale
Derived terms
References
- 1939, D. A. Paton, On the origin of aller, in Studies in French Language and Mediaeval Literature, page 301: The opinion that ambulare is the origin of aller has been and is held by so many eminent etymologists that it is with some diffidence I venture to suggest another source. [...] By these suggestions I am not attempting to prove that aller and ambler are of different origin, but only to show that such a theory is not only possible, but probable. The real and to my mind insuperable objection to ambulare as the source of aller is the phonetic question, and here we find that the supporters of ambulare, in explaining its unique development, arrive at their common conclusion by entirely different routes. Ducange would take aller as coming from ambler. Schuchardt's reasoning is as follows: – ambulare to *ammulare to *amlare to aller. [...] More recently, Meyer-Lübke's view is that ambulare was simply contracted to *allare, the contraction being particularly natural in the imperative mood. Gammillscheg also points out that ambulate, used in the army as a word of command, would easily be shortened to *alate.
- 1773, Charles Vallancey, A Grammar of the Iberno-Celtic, Or Irish Language, page 84: aill, go thou [...] from hence aller the French verb, to go
- 1873, Louis A. Languellier, H. M. Monsanto, A pratical course with the French language, page 487: "words which [...] belong to the ancient Gallic or Celtic speech [...include] aller, to go"
- 1939, E. F. Paton, A Defense of the Etymology Allatus, ∗Allare, Aller, in Publications of the Modern Language Association, volume 49, issue 4
Further reading
- “aller”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
German
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈalɐ/
Audio (file)
Adjective
aller
- inflection of all:
- strong/mixed nominative masculine singular
- strong genitive/dative feminine singular
- strong genitive plural
Middle English
Middle French
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Old French aler.
Conjugation
- Like Modern French aller, highly irregular.
- Middle French conjugation varies from one text to another. Hence, the following conjugation should be considered as typical, not as exhaustive.
infinitive | simple | aller | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
compound | estre + past participle | ||||||
present participle1 or gerund2 | simple | allant | |||||
compound | present participle or gerund of estre + past participle | ||||||
past participle | allé | ||||||
singular | plural | ||||||
first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
indicative | ie (i’) | tu | il, elle | nous | vous | ilz, elles | |
(simple tenses) |
present | vays | vas | va | allons | allez | vont |
imperfect | allois | allois | alloit | allions | alliez | alloient | |
past historic | allai | allas | alla | allasmes | allastes | allerent | |
future | iroye, yroie | iras, yras | ira, yra | irons, yrons | irez, yrez | iront, yront | |
conditional | irois, yrois | irois, yrois | iroit, yroit | irions, yrions | iriez, yriez | iroient, yroient | |
(compound tenses) |
present perfect | present indicative of estre + past participle | |||||
pluperfect | imperfect indicative of estre + past participle | ||||||
past anterior | past historic of estre + past participle | ||||||
future perfect | future of estre + past participle | ||||||
conditional perfect | conditional of estre + past participle | ||||||
subjunctive | que ie (i’) | que tu | qu’il, qu’elle | que nous | que vous | qu’ilz, qu’elles | |
(simple tenses) |
present | aille | ailles | aille | allions | alliez | aillent |
imperfect | allasse | allasses | allast | allassions | allassiez | allassent | |
(compound tenses) |
past | present subjunctive of estre + past participle | |||||
pluperfect | imperfect subjunctive of estre + past participle | ||||||
imperative | – | – | – | ||||
simple | — | va | — | allons | allez | — | |
compound | — | simple imperative of estre + past participle | — | simple imperative of estre + past participle | simple imperative of estre + past participle | — | |
1 The present participle was variable in gender and number until the 17th century (Anne Sancier-Château [1995], Une esthétique nouvelle: Honoré d'Urfé, correcteur de l'Astrée, p. 179). The French Academy would eventually declare it not to be declined in 1679. | |||||||
2 The gerund was held to be invariable by grammarians of the early 17th century, and was usable with preposition en, as in Modern French, although the preposition was not mandatory (Anne Sancier-Château [1995], op. cit., p. 180). |
Descendants
- French: aller
Norman
Etymology
From Old French aler, alier, from Vulgar Latin *alare (see French aller for further etymology).
Pronunciation
Audio (Jersey) (file)
Antonyms
- v'nîn (“to come”)
Old French
Conjugation
This verb conjugates as a first-group verb ending in -er. This verb is highly irregular and it is suppletive. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.
simple | compound | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
infinitive | aller | estre allé | |||||
gerund | en allant | gerund of estre + past participle | |||||
present participle | allant | ||||||
past participle | allé | ||||||
person | singular | plural | |||||
first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
indicative | jo | tu | il | nos | vos | il | |
simple tenses |
present | vois, vai | vais, vas | vait, va | alons | alez | vont |
imperfect | alloie, alleie, alloe, alleve | alloies, alleies, alloes, alleves | alloit, alleit, allot, alleve | alliiens, alliens | alliiez, alliez | alloient, alleient, alloent, allevent | |
preterite | allai | allas | alla | allames | allastes | allerent | |
future | irai | iras | ira | irons | iroiz, ireiz, irez | iront | |
conditional | iroie, ireie | iroies, ireies | iroit, ireit | iriiens, iriens | iriiez, iriez | iroient, ireient | |
compound tenses |
present perfect | present tense of estre + past participle | |||||
pluperfect | imperfect tense of estre + past participle | ||||||
past anterior | preterite tense of estre + past participle | ||||||
future perfect | future tense of estre + past participle | ||||||
conditional perfect | conditional tense of estre + past participle | ||||||
subjunctive | que jo | que tu | qu’il | que nos | que vos | qu’il | |
simple tenses |
present | voise, aille, alge, auge | voises, ailles, alges, auges | voise, voist, aille, aut, algeṭ, auge | voisiens, voisons, alons, ailliens, aillons, algiens, aljons, augiens, aujons | voisiez, alez, ailliez, algiez, algez, augiez, augez | voisent, aillent, algent, augent |
imperfect | allasse | allasses | allast | allissons, allissiens | allissoiz, allissez, allissiez | allassent | |
compound tenses |
past | present subjunctive of estre + past participle | |||||
pluperfect | imperfect subjunctive of estre + past participle | ||||||
imperative | – | tu | – | nos | vos | – | |
— | vas, va | — | allons | allez | — |
Saterland Frisian
Scots
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Old English alor, from Proto-West Germanic *aliʀu, from Proto-Germanic *aluz, *alusō (compare Swedish al, Saterland Frisian ällerboom), variant of *alizō, *alisō (compare Dutch els, German Erle).
Pronunciation
- Central Scots
- (West Central Scots) IPA(key): /ˈɛlər/
- Southern Scots
- (Hawick) IPA(key): /ˈɑːlʌɹ/
Welsh
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈaɬɛr/