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How to Say ‘I have to go pick her up’ in French

Je dois aller la chercher

zhuh dwah ah-LAY lah sher-SHAY

[zhuh dwah ah-LAY lah sher-SHAY]

💬 Usage Tip: Aller chercher means "to go pick up", not "to go search for". The la "her" sits right before chercher, the verb it belongs to.

Phrase Breakdown

Je dois aller

zhuh dwah ah-LAY

I have to go

'Dois' comes from 'devoir' (must) and sounds like 'dwa'. 'Aller' sounds like 'a-lé'.

Example

Je dois aller au travail.

I have to go to work.

Words in this phrase

Je

[zhuh]

I

Pronoun used by the speaker to identify themselves.

Example

Je suis content.

I am happy.

dois

[dwah]

must / should

From 'devoir'; expresses obligation or what one should do.

Example

Qu'est-ce que je dois faire si elle ne mange pas ?

What should I do if she doesn’t eat?

aller

[ah-LAY]

to go

A very common verb meaning 'to go.'

Example

On peut aller à la bibliothèque ce soir.

We can go to the library this evening.

la chercher

lah sher-SHAY

pick her up

'La' means 'her' here and goes before the verb. 'Aller chercher' means 'to go get' or 'to pick up'. Say it as 'la chèr-ché'.

Example

Je vais la chercher à l'école.

I'm going to pick her up from school.

Words in this phrase

la

[lah]

her

Direct object pronoun meaning “her,” referring to the hen.

Example

Gardez-la au chaud et au calme.

Keep her warm and calm.

chercher

[sher-SHAY]

to pick up / to get / to fetch

Literally 'to look for', but at school it often means 'to pick up' a child.

Example

Je vais Chercher mon enfant après la classe.

I am going to pick up my child after class.

Related guides

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.French Conversation for Beginners: 6 Everyday Dialogues You'll Actually UseSix basic French conversations for beginners, from greeting a neighbour and introducing yourself to booking a restaurant, with translations, native audio and the phrases that keep them going.

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