The expression s'en aller can be a little hard to get your head around, but it just means to leave or go away.
You can use it to tell people to go away:
If you want to understand the structure (you don't have to but it's interesting), the en part is actually a replacement (pronoun) for an unspoken d'ici or de [place] so it means from here or from [place].
So,
is structurally similar to get yourself out of here.
Since it's reflexive, it can get complicated in the Passé Composé.
Note that in these cases, the en will be before or after être: formally, it should be before, but in practice, it often ends up after.
Tu t'en vas déjà?
You're leaving already?
Vive le vent d'hiver,
Qui s'en va sifflant, soufflant,
Dans les grands sapins verts, oh !
Long live the winter wind,
that goes whistling, blowing,
through the big green pine trees, oh!
Il s'en est allé.
Il s'est en allé.
He left.
Allez-vous en !
Go away! (plural or formal)
Nous nous sommes en allés.
We left.
Ils s'en vont.
They're leaving.
Could someone please expand a bit on the part that says “formally, it should be before, but in practice, it often ends up after”?
If, for example, we were to write it after in an exam script, would this be marked down and regarded as an inaccuracy?
Thanks in advance!
Il s'en est allé is the grammatically correct version. Il s'est en allé is conversational French and would likely be marked incorrect in an exam. I'd use the proper version, just to be on the safe side.
Could someone please expand a bit on the part that says “formally, it should be before, but in practice, it often ends up after”?
If, for example, we were to write it after in an exam script, would this be marked down and regarded as an inaccuracy?
Thanks in advance!
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Hi Sagar,
I love the verb ‘s’en aller’ as do most French people and it is commonly used in every day speech for ‘to leave’.
It is however, tricky to use as in your question, in the imperative mood:
It is indeed -
Va t’en ! (no s)
Allez vous-en!
Allons nous-en!
It kind of follows the rule that verbs ending in -er lose the "s" in the second person singular imperative. Just that the verb form looks different.
But it doesn't follow the rule that verbs ending in -er recover the "s" in the tu form imperative before "en".
Maybe this exception should be added here:
On second thoughts, forget that. It's different because the "t" comes between "va" and "en", and it's not just a phonetic "t". (Pity I can't delete that other reply.)
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In listening to:
Il s'en est allé.
Il s'est en allé
the T in est allé is spoken "eh-tallé'
but in s'est en allé it wasn't said.
Pourquoi?
Merci.
Hi Carole,
You could make the liaison in the second sentence between the s'est and the en ( sounds like sétan) but it's probably one liaison too far as you have to make the following one between en and allé ( nallé).
Liaisons if not compulsory are often instinctive and optional and will often depends on many cultural factors and habits.
Hope this helps!
In listening to:
Il s'en est allé.
Il s'est en allé
the T in est allé is spoken "eh-tallé'
but in s'est en allé it wasn't said.
Pourquoi?
Merci.
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Hi Donald,
Non, vous n'avez pas tort, la réponse est oui après les expressions qui prennent le subjonctif comme il faut:
Il faut que je m'en aille..
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Bonjour Dragana !
You could indeed say Je m'en vais pour les vacances. = I'm going away for the holidays.
I'd say it's less colloquially used in the past tense in this context, we'll tend to use partir instead:
Je suis parti pour les vacances.
Ils sont partis pour les vacances.
Bonne journée !
Hi Dragana, this is a question which is best answered by a native speaker.
Personally, I find it sounds OK.
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
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