Does s’en aller take the future proche? In other words, are “je m’en vais” and “je vais m’en aller” both correct ways of saying “I am leaving”? And if so, are they completely interchangeable, or do they have different senses or nuances?
Thank you!
The expression s'en aller can be a little hard to get your head around, but it just means to leave or go away.
s'en aller in the Present tense (Le Présent)
s'en aller as an imperative (L'Impératif)
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.
s'en aller in the conversational past tense (Le Passé Composé)
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.
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
Q&A Forum 13 questions, 22 answers
Hi Chuck,
There is a slight time difference between -
Je m'en vais = I am going ( and you leave)
and
Je vais m'en aller = I am going to go ( in the near future)
as in English
Hope this helps!
Chuck asked:View original
Does s’en aller take the future proche?
Does s’en aller take the future proche? In other words, are “je m’en vais” and “je vais m’en aller” both correct ways of saying “I am leaving”? And if so, are they completely interchangeable, or do they have different senses or nuances?
Thank you!
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RuthKwiziq community member
Practicing va aller
Anyone else practicing by singing Charlie Boisseau’s »Pourquoi Tu T’en Vas »?
Asked 2 months ago
Hi Ruth,
Lyrics from French songs are very useful to fix certain grammatical constructions, and this one is useful for that particular form of 's'en aller'.
I am also thinking of Edith Piaf - Non, je ne regrette rien or Jacques Brel , Ne me quitte pas .
Showing my age I am afraid!
On a more modern slant do you know Vianney's Pas là, with its beautiful haunting refrain?
Ruth asked:View original
Practicing va aller
Anyone else practicing by singing Charlie Boisseau’s »Pourquoi Tu T’en Vas »?
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ZaneKwiziq community member
subjonctif passé
why is the sentence wrong? " je suis désolée qu'ils s'en soient allés sans que l'on puisse leur dire au revoir. the "s'en aller" is wrong ... explain why.
Asked 3 months ago
Hi Zane,
It is not really wrong, the use of 's'en aller' here makes the sentence very heavy and clumsy.
I would suggest -
Je suis désolée qu'ils soient partis sans que l'on puisse leur dire au revoir
Hope this helps!
Zane asked:View original
subjonctif passé
why is the sentence wrong? " je suis désolée qu'ils s'en soient allés sans que l'on puisse leur dire au revoir. the "s'en aller" is wrong ... explain why.
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Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
formally vs. in practice?
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!
Asked 9 months ago
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.
Sara asked:View original
formally vs. in practice?
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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SagarKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Why va-t'en and not vas-t'en ?
Isn't the tu-form of aller "vas"?
Asked 1 year ago
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!
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
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.
Alan Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
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:
Alan Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
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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Gillian Kwiziq community member
Why is “Elle s’en est allé” marked as wrong? Does it have to agree in gender as well as number?
Asked 1 year ago
Gillian asked:View original
Why is “Elle s’en est allé” marked as wrong? Does it have to agree in gender as well as number?
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CaroleKwiziq community member
Pronunciation question
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.
Asked 1 year ago
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!
Carole asked:View original
Pronunciation question
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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DonaldKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
S'en aller
Peut-le subjonctif être employé avec <s'en aller>. Il est necessaire qu'elle s'en aille... Il faut que nous nous en allions immediatement. Peut-être j'ai tort. Merci d'avance, Don
Asked 1 year ago
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..
Donald asked:View original
S'en aller
Peut-le subjonctif être employé avec <s'en aller>. Il est necessaire qu'elle s'en aille... Il faut que nous nous en allions immediatement. Peut-être j'ai tort. Merci d'avance, Don
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DraganaKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Left for holidays - can you say "ils se sont en allés pour leurs vacances"
Asked 1 year ago
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 !
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
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).
Dragana asked:View original
Left for holidays - can you say "ils se sont en allés pour leurs vacances"
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Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
On a childhood record album, I learned
Ainsi font, font, font les petites marionettes. Ainsi font, font, font trois petits tours et puis s'en vont! (Although I had incorrectly remembered it as 'et puis s'en va'.)Now I know better! Merci!
Asked 2 years ago
Ron Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Bonjour Tamani,
Je ne connais pas cette chanson. Quel est le titre?
Ron Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Bonsoir Tamani,
Merci et bonne chance pour vos études dans la langage française.
Tamani asked:View original
On a childhood record album, I learned
Ainsi font, font, font les petites marionettes. Ainsi font, font, font trois petits tours et puis s'en vont! (Although I had incorrectly remembered it as 'et puis s'en va'.)Now I know better! Merci!
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MerleKwiziq community member
Why does the second person (tu) lose the 's' in the imperative? Tu t'en vas? / Va-t'en!
Asked 3 years ago
AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour Merle !
This is the rule applying to all -ER verbs in L'Impératif in French:
in the "tu" form, they lose the -s, unless they're followed by "- y" or "- en".
"Aller" though irregular -ER, still abides by this rule.
Have a look at the related lesson:
Conjugate regular verbs in L'Impératif (imperative)
I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt !
Merle asked:View original
Why does the second person (tu) lose the 's' in the imperative? Tu t'en vas? / Va-t'en!
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