A1 · Principiante Capítulo 34

Action and Movement

4 Reglas totales
40 ejemplos
6 min
Reglas en este capítulo Práctica rápida

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Unlock daily conversation by mastering four essential irregular French verbs that define movement and action.

  • Conjugate 'aller', 'faire', 'venir', and 'prendre' in the present tense.
  • Describe your daily movements, hobbies, and consumption habits.
  • Connect these verbs to express origins, destinations, and activities.
Master the verbs that move your French forward.

Lo que aprenderás

Ready for a huge boost in your French skills? This Action and Movement chapter is packed with excitement! We're diving into four essential irregular French verbs that are the backbone of daily conversation. Don't worry, irregular sounds scarier than it is; learning them is much easier and more rewarding than you think. We'll show you how they all connect! First, you'll master aller (to go). This lets you describe destinations, how you're feeling (e.g., 'je vais bien' – I'm doing well), and even future plans. Imagine saying "I'm going to Paris or asking How are you?« – »aller

makes it possible. Next is
faire" (to do or to make), a truly magical verb. You'll use it for activities, hobbies (like 'je fais du sport' – I play sports), and even the weather. From "It's sunny to I'm working,« »faire" covers so much! Then, we'll conquer venir (to come). You'll learn to express where you're coming from or arriving. This verb complements aller, helping you precisely indicate movement and origin. You can say
I come from France.
Finally, the incredibly versatile prendre (to take or to consume). This one is for everything you 'take' or 'consume' – from "I'm having a coffee to I'm taking the bus, and even I'm taking a photo"! By the end, you'll confidently talk about your daily activities, destinations, origins, and what you're eating or drinking. These four verbs weave together, unlocking countless everyday French conversations. Get ready to speak French with confidence!

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: Use 'aller' to describe where you are going.
  2. 2
    By the end you will be able to: Use 'faire' to talk about sports and weather.
  3. 3
    By the end you will be able to: Use 'venir' to state your origin.
  4. 4
    By the end you will be able to: Use 'prendre' to order food or transport.

Guía del capítulo

Overview

Welcome to your exciting journey into A1 French grammar with our Action and Movement chapter! This guide is designed to give you a massive boost in your conversational French by mastering four incredibly essential and versatile irregular verbs: aller (to go), faire (to do/to make), venir (to come), and prendre (to take/to consume). Don't let the term irregular intimidate you; these verbs are fundamental, and learning them will unlock countless everyday interactions.
They are the backbone of discussing daily activities, plans, and origins. By the end of this chapter, you'll see how these four verbs weave together seamlessly, allowing you to express yourself with confidence. Get ready to move, act, arrive, and consume in French like a pro!
Mastering these verbs is a crucial step in building a strong foundation in French language learning.

How This Grammar Works

This chapter focuses on four core French verbs that are irregular but incredibly common, making them essential for A1 French learners. Let's break them down:
Going Places: The Verb 'To Go' (aller)
This verb is your go-to for talking about movement, destinations, and even your well-being.
Conjugation:
  • Je vais (I go/I am going)
  • Tu vas (You go/You are going - informal)
  • Il/Elle/On va (He/She/One goes/is going)
  • Nous allons (We go/We are going)
  • Vous allez (You go/You are going - formal/plural)
  • Ils/Elles vont (They go/They are going)

Examples: Je vais à Paris. (I am going to Paris.) Comment allez-vous ? (How are you doing? - formal) Je vais bien. (I am doing well.) You can also use aller + infinitive to talk about future actions, like Je vais manger. (I am going to eat.)

The Verb Faire: To Do & To Make
Faire is a powerhouse verb used for activities, hobbies, weather, and general actions.
Conjugation:
  • Je fais (I do/I make)
  • Tu fais (You do/You make - informal)
  • Il/Elle/On fait (He/She/One does/makes)
  • Nous faisons (We do/We make)
  • Vous faites (You do/You make - formal/plural)
  • Ils/Elles font (They do/They make)

Examples: Je fais du sport. (I play sports.) Nous faisons un gâteau. (We are making a cake.) For weather, you'll often hear Il fait beau. (It's beautiful weather.) or Il fait chaud. (It's hot.)

French Verb: To Come (Venir)
Venir helps you express origin and arrival. It perfectly complements aller.
Conjugation:
  • Je viens (I come/I am coming)
  • Tu viens (You come/You are coming - informal)
  • Il/Elle/On vient (He/She/One comes/is coming)
  • Nous venons (We come/We are coming)
  • Vous venez (You come/You are coming - formal/plural)
  • Ils/Elles viennent (They come/They are coming)

Examples: Je viens de France. (I come from France.) Vous venez avec nous ? (Are you coming with us?)

Mastering Taking & Eating (prendre)
This incredibly versatile verb covers taking transport, consuming food or drink, and physically taking objects.
Conjugation:
  • Je prends (I take/I am taking)
  • Tu prends (You take/You are taking - informal)
  • Il/Elle/On prend (He/She/One takes/is taking)
  • Nous prenons (We take/We are taking)
  • Vous prenez (You take/You are taking - formal/plural)
  • Ils/Elles prennent (They take/They are taking)

Examples: Je prends le bus. (I take the bus.) Elle prend un café. (She is having a coffee.) Tu prends une photo ? (Are you taking a photo?)

Common Mistakes

  1. 1✗ Wrong:
    Tu va au magasin.
✓ Correct:
Tu vas au magasin.
*Explanation:* The verb aller is irregular, and the tu form ends with an s (vas), not just a. This is a very common conjugation error for A1 French learners.
  1. 1✗ Wrong:
    Le soleil fait chaud.
✓ Correct:
Il fait chaud.
*Explanation:* When talking about the weather in French, you almost always use the impersonal expression
Il fait
(It is) followed by an adjective (like chaud for hot, froid for cold, beau for beautiful). You don't use le soleil as the subject for these general weather statements.
  1. 1✗ Wrong: "Je prends mes enfants à l'école."
✓ Correct: "J'emmène mes enfants à l'école." (or J'amène depending on context)
*Explanation:* While prendre means to take, it's typically for inanimate objects, transport, or consumption. When taking or bringing people somewhere, French uses verbs like emmener (to take someone away/to a place) or amener (to bring someone to a place).

Real Conversations

A

A

Où est-ce que tu vas ce week-end ? (Where are you going this weekend?)
B

B

Je vais à la plage avec des amis. (I'm going to the beach with friends.)
A

A

Qu'est-ce que vous faites après le travail ? (What are you doing after work?)
B

B

Nous faisons du vélo, puis nous prenons un verre. (We're cycling, then we're having a drink.)
A

A

Tu viens d'où ? (Where do you come from? - informal)
B

B

Je viens de Lyon, et je prends le train pour Paris demain. (I come from Lyon, and I'm taking the train to Paris tomorrow.)

Quick FAQ

Q

How do I use

aller
for future plans in A1 French?

You can use

aller
+ an infinitive verb (the base form of a verb) to express near future plans, like
Je vais manger
(I am going to eat) or
Nous allons visiter
(We are going to visit).

Q

What are common expressions with

faire
for daily activities?

Faire du sport
(to play sports),
faire la cuisine
(to cook),
faire les courses
(to do the grocery shopping),
faire le ménage
(to do the housework),
faire la fête
(to party).

Q

What's the main difference between

aller
and
venir
in French grammar?

Aller
means to go (moving away from the speaker), while
venir
means to come (moving towards the speaker or a designated point). Think of it as go there vs. come here.

Q

Can

prendre
mean to eat or to drink in French?

Yes, absolutely!

Prendre
is very commonly used to mean to have a meal or a drink, such as
prendre un café
(to have a coffee) or
prendre le petit-déjeuner
(to have breakfast).

Cultural Context

These four verbs are incredibly pervasive in everyday French conversation. You'll hear aller constantly for directions or well-being, faire for describing almost any activity from cooking to hobbies, and prendre for everything from ordering a coffee to catching public transport. Venir is key for talking about origins or inviting someone.
Mastering their conjugations and typical uses will make your French grammar sound much more natural and fluid, allowing you to participate in authentic interactions from the very beginning.

Ejemplos clave (8)

1

Je vais à la plage ce week-end avec mes amis.

Voy a la playa este fin de semana con mis amigos.

Yendo a sitios: El verbo 'ir' (aller)
2

Salut ! Comment vas-tu aujourd'hui ?

¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás hoy?

Yendo a sitios: El verbo 'ir' (aller)
3

Je fais mes devoirs tous les soirs.

Hago mis deberes todas las noches.

El verbo Faire: Hacer y realizar
4

Tu fais un TikTok avec moi ?

¿Haces un TikTok conmigo?

El verbo Faire: Hacer y realizar
5

Je viens du Canada.

Vengo de Canadá.

Verbo francés: Venir (Venir)
6

Tu viens à ma fête samedi ?

¿Vienes a mi fiesta el sábado?

Verbo francés: Venir (Venir)
7

Je prends {un|m} café au lait.

Estoy tomando un café con leche.

Domina "Tomar" y "Comer" (prendre)
8

Tu prends {le|m} bus pour aller au travail ?

¿Tomas el autobús para ir al trabajo?

Domina "Tomar" y "Comer" (prendre)

Consejos y trucos (4)

⚠️

La trampa de la 'S'

¡Ojo! No olvides la 's' en 'tu vas', pero recuerda que no se pronuncia. Y nunca pongas una 's' en 'il va', ¡es un error común incluso para avanzados! Tu vas bien ?
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Yendo a sitios: El verbo 'ir' (aller)
⚠️

El error con 'Vous'

¡Nunca digas 'vous faisez'! Es el error número uno. Memoriza 'vous faites' como un mantra.
Vous faites la cuisine.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: El verbo Faire: Hacer y realizar
🎯

La 'Bota' Visual

Si dibujas la conjugación en un papel, verás que las formas 'je', 'tu', 'il/elle/on' y 'ils/elles' forman una bota. ¡Son las que cambian! Je viens.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Verbo francés: Venir (Venir)
⚠️

La 'D' Fantasma

La 'd' de 'prendre' se esfuma cuando hablas de 'nosotros' ('nous') o 'ustedes' ('vous'). ¡Que no te asuste en las formas plurales! Por ejemplo, no digas 'nous prendons', di: Nous prenons.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Domina "Tomar" y "Comer" (prendre)

Vocabulario clave (6)

aller to go faire to do / to make venir to come prendre to take le café coffee le bus the bus

Real-World Preview

coffee

Meeting at a Cafe

Review Summary

  • Subject + vais/vas/va/allons/allez/vont + destination
  • Subject + fais/fais/fait/faisons/faites/font + activity
  • Subject + viens/viens/vient/venons/venez/viennent + origin
  • Subject + prends/prends/prend/prenons/prenez/prennent + object

Errores comunes

You must conjugate the verb! 'Aller' changes based on the subject.

Wrong: Je aller au parc.
Correcto: Je vais au parc.

In French, we 'take' (prendre) food/drink, we don't 'do' it.

Wrong: Je fais le café.
Correcto: Je prends un café.

Always use 'de' when indicating your origin.

Wrong: Je viens Paris.
Correcto: Je viens de Paris.

Next Steps

You have done an amazing job! Keep practicing these four verbs and you will sound like a native speaker in no time.

Write a diary entry about your day

Continue to: Expressing Intentions

Práctica rápida (10)

¿Qué frase es correcta?

Elige la frase gramaticalmente correcta:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nous venons au restaurant.
La forma de 'nous' usa la raíz regular 'ven-' y la terminación '-ons'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Verbo francés: Venir (Venir)

Completa el espacio en blanco con la forma correcta de 'aller'.

Je ___ au cinéma ce soir.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: vais
Para el sujeto 'Je', la forma correcta es 'vais'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Yendo a sitios: El verbo 'ir' (aller)

Completa el espacio en blanco con la forma correcta de 'prendre'.

Je ___ un verre avec mes amis.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: prends
Con 'je', mantenemos la 'd' y añadimos una 's'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Domina "Tomar" y "Comer" (prendre)

Encuentra y corrige el error en la frase.

Find and fix the mistake:

Ils vient de manger.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ils viennent de manger.
La tercera persona del plural 'ils' requiere 'viennent' con doble 'n'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Verbo francés: Venir (Venir)

Encuentra y corrige el error

Find and fix the mistake:

Ils faisent du vélo dans le parc.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ils font du vélo dans le parc.
La forma de 'ils' para 'faire' es 'font', no 'faisent'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: El verbo Faire: Hacer y realizar

Rellena el espacio en blanco con la forma correcta de 'faire'.

Je ___ du sport le samedi.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: fais
Con 'je', la forma correcta es 'fais'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: El verbo Faire: Hacer y realizar

Encuentra y corrige el error en esta frase.

Find and fix the mistake:

Ils va à la plage demain.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ils vont à la plage demain.
La forma de tercera persona del plural (Ils) requiere 'vont'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Yendo a sitios: El verbo 'ir' (aller)

¿Qué frase es gramaticalmente correcta?

Elige la conjugación correcta:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Tu vas bien ?
El sujeto 'Tu' siempre lleva 'vas' (¡no olvides la 's'!).

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Yendo a sitios: El verbo 'ir' (aller)

Encuentra y corrige el error.

Find and fix the mistake:

Ils prendent une photo.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ils prennent une photo.
La forma de 'ellos' (ils/elles) duplica la 'n' y termina en 'ent'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Domina "Tomar" y "Comer" (prendre)

Rellena el espacio en blanco con la forma correcta de 'venir'.

Je ___ de Paris.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: viens
Para 'je', la raíz cambia a 'vien-' y la terminación es '-s'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Verbo francés: Venir (Venir)

Score: /10

Preguntas frecuentes (6)

¡Sí, totalmente! A diferencia del español donde dices 'estoy bien', en francés dices 'Je vais bien' (voy bien). Usar 'Je suis bien' a veces puede significar que estás cómodo o 'feliz' de otra manera.
Je vais bien, merci.
Usa 'à' para lugares geográficos (ciudades, tiendas, parques), como en Je vais à Paris. Usa 'chez' para casas de personas o lugares profesionales (el médico, la peluquería), como en
Je vais chez le docteur
.
En francés, 'faire' cubre ambos. Lo usas para 'fabricar' un pastel y 'hacer' tus deberes. Por ejemplo:
Je fais un gâteau
y
Je fais mes devoirs
.
Es una de las pocas palabras donde 'ai' se pronuncia como una 'u' corta (fuh-zohn) en lugar de 'ay'. Por ejemplo: Nous faisons.
Puedes usar "J'arrive ! o Je viens !
. Ambos son comunes, pero
J'arrive" se usa más para 'estoy en camino' o 'ya llego'. "J'arrive !"
¡Sí, muchísimo! Es de los 10 verbos más usados en francés. Lo escucharás todos los días.
Je viens de la casa
.
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