vais

Vais is the first-person singular present indicative form of the French verb aller, meaning to go. It is used with the subject je, as in Je vais, which translates to I go or I am going in English.

In ordinary movement, vais appears in phrases that describe traveling or moving toward a destination: Je vais à l’école. It can also introduce a near-future intention when combined with an infinitive, forming the common near-future construction: Je vais manger, I am going to eat; Je vais partir demain, I am going to leave tomorrow.

The full present tense of aller includes: je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont. Vais is uniquely the form for the first-person singular; other persons use different endings and forms.

Etymology: Aller is an irregular French verb with roots in Old French, ultimately tracing back to Latin; vais derives from the same stem that yields the modern present tense forms of aller. Its irregular conjugation reflects its long-standing usage in everyday speech.

Usage notes: In everyday French, aller frequently serves both literal movement and the expression of planned or imminent actions. The near-future sense conveyed by "aller + infinitive" is common in conversation and informal writing, and it contrasts with the simple present when describing habitual actions or general statements.

See also: French verbs, être and avoir as auxiliary verbs, conjugation patterns in French, near future tense.