🏃💨

How to Say ‘I have to go’ in French

Je dois y aller

zhuh dwah ee ah-LAY

[zhuh dwah ee ah-LAY]

💬 Usage Tip: y means "there", and French keeps it even when English wouldn't. You hear it in On y va ! "Let's go!"

Phrase Breakdown

Je dois

zhuh dwah

I must / I have to

From 'devoir'. Say 'zhuh dwah', with a silent S.

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 / have to

Form of 'devoir' for 'je', expressing obligation.

Example

Je dois partir.

I have to leave.

y aller

ee ah-LAY

go (there) / get going

'Y' means 'there'. Say 'ee ah-lay', gliding smoothly into 'yah-lay'. The final R is silent.

Example

On peut y aller ?

Can we 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-LAY]

to go

Infinitive of the verb meaning to go.

Example

Je veux aller au tableau.

I want to go to the board.

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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