🏃➡️

How to Say ‘I have to go’ in French

Je dois y aller

zhuh dwah ee ah-leh

[zhuh dwah ee ah-leh]

💬 Usage Tip: The little word y means "there," and French keeps it even when no place is named. Dropping it to je dois aller sounds incomplete.

Phrase Breakdown

Je dois

zhuh dwah

I have to

This comes from 'devoir' (must). 'Dois' sounds like 'dwa'.

Example

Je dois travailler.

I have to work.

Words in this phrase

[zhuh]

Pronoun used by the speaker to identify themselves.

Example

Je suis content.

I am happy.

dois

[dwah]

must

Second person singular present tense of 'devoir', indicating an obligation or necessity.

Example

Tu dois manger.

You must eat.

y aller

ee ah-leh

'Y aller' means 'to go (there)', or 'to leave'. Say 'ya-lé'.

Example

On peut y aller.

We can go.

Words in this phrase

[ee]

there

In or at that place.

Example

Y a-t-il une solution?

Is there a solution?

aller

[ah-leh]

to go

Infinitive form of the verb 'to go', used for motion or travel.

Example

Je pense qu'il serait bien d'aller ailleurs.

I think it would be nice to go somewhere else.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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