French grammar tips: Should you use 'je suis allé' or 'j'ai été' or both?
It can be very confusing to hear a French person seemingly make a grammatical mistake in their own language.
If you ask your friend if they want to go to dinner and they enthusiastically reply
je suis chaud!
the French 101 sirens might go off in your head. Your French teacher probably told you to never say this, as it is also a way of describing sexual excitement.
However, languages change and evolve, and these days,
je suis chaud
just means "I am up for it".
A prime example of official versus colloquial French coming into conflict is the use of
j'ai été
versus
je suis allé
when trying to say "I went" or "I was (at)".
Basically, when people do this, they use the past participle of
être
(to have) instead of the verb
aller
(to go), but you were probably taught to do the latter in French class.
But in our modern times, a person speaking casual French might say
j'ai été à la marché cet après-midi
(I went to the market this afternoon), or
j'ai été à Paris l'an dernier
(I went to Paris last year, or I was in Paris last year).
Some linguists believe that these examples aren't completely wrong. In fact, two French dictionaries, Le Larousse and Le Robert both allow for a more flexible usage of
j'ai été
, specifically as a casual variant of
je suis allé.
As for the guardian of the French language, the Académie Française, the rule is categorical: if you are trying to say that you went somewhere, you should use
je suis allé
.
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If you want a more detailed explanation (in French), you can watch this helpful
grammar video
by the Parlez-Vous Français account.
So all of that to say - you might be able to use
j'ai été
when discussing your comings and goings. However, you might want to prioritise the universally correct
je suis allé
(or
je suis allée
, if you are a woman) when writing a letter or email, or when having a more formal conversation.
Grammar tips
From agreeing adjectives to the subjunctive, French grammar can be fiendishly - some claim deliberately - complicated and almost all French learners have at one point despaired over ever getting it right.
People learn languages in different ways - some people prefer to just throw themselves into chatting, others like to have a textbook and some exercises. But the formal and structured nature of the French language means that if you want to become fluent - and if you need written French - then you are going to have to learn some grammar.
That's the purpose of our weekly series of French grammar tips and tricks - and you can also sign up to receive them as a newsletter.
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The tips are not intended as a substitute for formal classes or sweating over those verb tables (sadly, those are necessary for most people), but may be of some help to language learners.
They come from our own experiences of living and working in France, and as with
our popular French word of the Day feature
, we've tried to focus on examples that will be useful in everyday life.
Read more French grammar tips;
French grammar tips: Look out for the accent
French grammar tips: Cheat the future
Guessing the gender of nouns
The cheat's guide to the subjunctive
Understanding French place names
Getting the date and time right
Pay attention to your French friend's English mistakes
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