aller + infinitive = "going to"

The easiest way to talk about the future is exactly like English "going to": take aller in the present, then add an infinitive:

• je vais manger — I'm going to eat
• on va sortir — we're going to go out
• ils vont jouer — they're going to play

Just two moving parts: conjugate aller (je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont), then park the second verb as a plain infinitive. Never conjugate the second verb.

Pick the aller form

Making a plan

pouvoir, vouloir, devoir

Three verbs express what you can, want to or must do. They are irregular, and they are almost always followed by an infinitive:

Always an infinitive next: je dois travailler (I must work), je peux aller (I can go), je veux jouer (I want to play). The second verb never changes.

Your turn — the near future

Chaining a modal to a verb

The pattern is the same every time: modal verb conjugated for the person, then a plain infinitive:

• je peux + aller → je peux aller (I can go)
• je veux + jouer → je veux jouer (I want to play)
• je dois + travailler → je dois travailler (I must work)

Never conjugate the second verb. Write je dois travailler, not je dois travaille. The modal carries the person; the infinitive stays put.

Modal + infinitive

Your turn — the "I" of pouvoir

je voudrais and il faut

Two more high-value patterns. Use them to sound polite and to say what "one must" do:

• je voudrais = "I would like" — softer than je veux. Follow it with an infinitive or a noun: je voudrais manger, je voudrais un café.
• il faut + infinitive = "one must / you have to". Il faut réviser (one must revise), il faut manger.

Exam gold: je voudrais and il faut are quick ways to lift your register. Both take an infinitive next (and je voudrais can also take a noun).

Being polite

Your turn — "I would like"

aimer, adorer, détester, préférer

Opinion verbs take an infinitive or a noun. They are the heart of every "what do you think?" answer:

• j'adore jouer — I love playing · j'adore jouer au football
• je déteste les maths — I hate maths
• je préfère lire — I prefer reading

Go further: add a clause with penser que / croire que / trouver que ("I think/believe/find that…"), or open with à mon avis ("in my opinion"). Sharpen it with qualifiers: assez (quite), très (very), vraiment (really), un peu (a bit).

Match the infinitive to its "je" form

Tap an infinitive on the left, then tap its "I" form on the right.

Your turn — the "I" of vouloir

An opinion + infinitive

Positive or negative?

Sort each opinion phrase into positive or negative.

Qualifiers and "I think that…"

Turn a plain opinion into a top-mark one. Add a qualifier to grade it, or a clause to justify it:

• Qualifiers: assez (quite), très (very), vraiment (really), un peu (a bit) — c'est très intéressant.
• Clauses: je pense que …, je crois que …, je trouve que … ("I think/believe/find that…").
• Opener: à mon avis = "in my opinion".

Recipe for a strong sentence: à mon avis + opinion verb + qualifier — e.g. à mon avis, je trouve que c'est vraiment nul. Grade every opinion and you climb the mark bands.

"One must…"

Your turn — "I must leave"

Building richer sentences

Combine a plan and an opinion and your French leaps up a level:

• Plan: ce week-end, je vais jouer au football. ("This weekend I'm going to play football.")
• Opinion: à mon avis, c'est vraiment génial. ("In my opinion, it's really great.")
• Obligation: mais d'abord, je dois réviser. ("But first, I must revise.")

Golden habit: every future action can be aller + infinitive; every modal keeps its infinitive; every opinion can carry a qualifier. Stack those and you write like a top-band candidate.

Your plans-and-opinions toolkit

Plans and opinions are where the top marks live. Press Finish to see your score.