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Present Tense: aller and faire

FoundationHigherAQA

Master Present Tense: aller and faire for GCSE French with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Foundation and Higher exam-style practice with worked answers for AQA GCSE French (8652). Aller and faire are high-frequency irregular verbs used in many everyday expressions.

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These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA specification. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.

Foundation

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Higher

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Topic overview

Aller and faire are two more essential irregular verbs, both used constantly and both appearing in many set expressions.

Aller means to go: je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont. Faire means to do or make: je fais, tu fais, il fait, nous faisons, vous faites, ils font.

Both appear in expressions where the English translation uses a different verb entirely. Aller forms the near future — je vais manger means I am going to eat. Faire is used for weather — il fait beau means it is fine — and for activities: faire du sport, faire les courses. Note vous faites, which does not follow the usual -ez ending.

Revision notes

Aller in full

Je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont.

The stem changes completely between the singular and nous or vous forms. Aller is the only verb ending in -er that is irregular in the present tense.

Faire in full

Je fais, tu fais, il fait, nous faisons, vous faites, ils font.

Vous faites is irregular — it does not take the usual -ez ending. This is one of only three verbs in French where vous does not end in -ez.

Set expressions

Aller forms the near future: je vais manger — I am going to eat.

Faire covers weather — il fait beau, il fait froid — and activities: faire du sport, faire les courses, faire ses devoirs. In each the English uses a different verb.

Key points

  • Aller means to go.
  • Faire means to do or make.
  • Both are completely irregular.
  • Vous faites does not end in -ez.
  • Aller forms the near future.
  • Faire is used for weather expressions.

Worked examples

Example 1

Give the ils form of aller. [2 marks]

Working

ils vontuse the irregular third person plural
Aller is irregular, so vont must be learned rather than derivedexplain the irregularity

Example 2

Give the vous form of faire. [2 marks]

Working

vous faitesuse the irregular vous form
Faire is one of the few verbs where vous does not end in -ezexplain the exception

Example 3

Translate: it is fine weather. [2 marks]

Working

Il fait beauuse faire for the weather expression
French uses faire where English uses to be for weatherexplain the difference

Common mistakes

  • Writing vous faisez.

    It is vous faites.

  • Using être for weather.

    French uses faire: il fait beau, not il est beau.

  • Treating aller as a regular -er verb.

    It is the one irregular -er verb in the present tense.

  • Confusing ils vont and ils font.

    Vont is aller; font is faire.

Exam tips

  • Memorise vous faites carefully.
  • Use faire for all weather expressions.
  • Learn aller ready for the near future.
  • Practise distinguishing vont and font.

Key terms

Aller
The verb to go, used for the near future.
Faire
The verb to do or make, used for weather.
Near future
Aller plus an infinitive, meaning going to.
Set expression
A fixed phrase such as il fait beau.

Related topics

Written and reviewed against the current AQA specification. Spotted an error? Let us know.