Action and Movement
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.
O que você vai aprender
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 isfaire" (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!
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Indo a lugares: O verbo 'ir' (aller)Domine 'aller' para contar onde você está indo, como você se sente e o que vai fazer em seguida. É seu passe para
ir,sentirefuturo! -
O Verbo Faire: Fazer e RealizarDominar o verbo irregular
faireé como ter um superpoder para descrever quase tudo: suas atividades diárias, hobbies e até o clima! -
Verbo Francês: Vir (Venir)Olha só, o segredo é dominar a mudança de
ven-paravien-para usar esse verbo super importante de movimento e origem. É como mágica! -
Dominando "Tomar" e "Comer" (prendre)Você tem um verbo mágico, o
prendre! Use para tudo que você 'pega' ou 'consome' – decaféeônibusaselfiesebanhos.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
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1
By the end you will be able to: Use 'aller' to describe where you are going.
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2
By the end you will be able to: Use 'faire' to talk about sports and weather.
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3
By the end you will be able to: Use 'venir' to state your origin.
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4
By the end you will be able to: Use 'prendre' to order food or transport.
Guia do capítulo
Overview
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.How This Grammar Works
- 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.)
- 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.)
- 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?)
Taking & Eating (prendre)- 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✗ Wrong:
Tu va au magasin.
Tu vas au magasin.
tu form ends with an s (vas), not just a. This is a very common conjugation error for A1 French learners.- 1✗ Wrong:
Le soleil fait chaud.
Il fait chaud.
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✗ Wrong: "Je prends mes enfants à l'école."
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
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Quick FAQ
How do I use
allerfor 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).
What are common expressions with
fairefor 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).
What's the main difference between
allerand
venirin French grammar?
Allermeans
to go (moving away from the speaker), while venirmeans
to come (moving towards the speaker or a designated point). Think of it as go there vs. come here.
Can
prendremean
to eat or to drink in French?
Yes, absolutely!
Prendreis 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
Exemplos-chave (8)
Je vais à la plage ce week-end avec mes amis.
Eu vou à praia neste fim de semana com meus amigos.
Indo a lugares: O verbo 'ir' (aller)Je fais mes devoirs tous les soirs.
Eu faço minha lição de casa todas as noites.
O Verbo Faire: Fazer e RealizarTu prends {le|m} bus pour aller au travail ?
Você pega o ônibus para ir ao trabalho?
Dominando "Tomar" e "Comer" (prendre)Dicas e truques (4)
Cuidado com o 'S' em 'Tu vas'!
tu vas, mas ele é mudo! E nunca coloque 's' em il va — é um erro comum até para quem já fala bem. Tu vas bien ? vs. Il va bien.O Erro do 'Vous'
Vous faites la cuisine?(Vocês cozinham?)
O Visual da 'Bota'
Je viens, tu viens, il vient, nous venons, vous venez, ils viennent.
O 'D' Fantasma
prendre some quando você fala de 'nós' (nous) ou 'vocês' (vous). Não deixe ele te assustar nas formas no plural! Nous prenons le train.
Vocabulário-chave (6)
Real-World Preview
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
Erros comuns
You must conjugate the verb! 'Aller' changes based on the subject.
In French, we 'take' (prendre) food/drink, we don't 'do' it.
Always use 'de' when indicating your origin.
Regras neste capítulo (4)
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
Prática rápida (10)
Escolha a forma correta de 'vous':
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: O Verbo Faire: Fazer e Realizar
Escolha a conjugação correta:
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Indo a lugares: O verbo 'ir' (aller)
Find and fix the mistake:
Ils va à la plage demain.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Indo a lugares: O verbo 'ir' (aller)
Je ___ du sport le samedi.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: O Verbo Faire: Fazer e Realizar
Je ___ au cinéma ce soir.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Indo a lugares: O verbo 'ir' (aller)
Find and fix the mistake:
Ils faisent du vélo dans le parc.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: O Verbo Faire: Fazer e Realizar
Selecione a forma plural correta:
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Dominando "Tomar" e "Comer" (prendre)
Je ___ un verre avec mes amis.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Dominando "Tomar" e "Comer" (prendre)
Escolha a frase gramaticalmente correta:
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Verbo Francês: Vir (Venir)
Find and fix the mistake:
Ils vient de manger.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Verbo Francês: Vir (Venir)
Score: /10
Perguntas comuns (6)
Je vais bien (Eu vou bem). Usar Je suis bien pode significar que você está confortável ou feliz de outra forma.Je vais à Paris (Paris é um lugar), Je vais chez le médecin(o médico é uma pessoa/profissão).
faire un gâteau) e para 'fazer' sua lição de casa (
faire mes devoirs). ou Je viens !. Ambos são comuns, masJ'arrive" é um pouco mais frequente para 'Estou a caminho'.
