Using 'Aller' in French Job Interviews: Key Phrases


Quick Summary

The verb ‘aller’ is fundamental in French, often signifying movement or general state. In the context of a job interview, it is crucial for expressing attendance, anticipating outcomes, or inquiring about the process, though it does not directly translate to ‘to pass’.


Core Lessons & Contextual Examples

1. Ça va aller.

English Translation: It’ll be fine/It’ll go well.

Nuance Note: This common idiom offers reassurance or expresses optimism about the interview’s outcome.

2. Je vais à l’entretien avec confiance.

English Translation: I am going to the interview with confidence.

Nuance Note: This phrase uses ‘aller’ to denote the act of attending the interview, coupled with a positive mindset.

3. J’espère que l’entretien va bien se passer.

English Translation: I hope the interview goes well.

Nuance Note: Here, ‘aller’ functions as an auxiliary verb in the futur proche, combined with ‘se passer’ to express hope for a positive progression of the interview.


Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Pitfall 1: Grammatical Trap (Click to Reveal)
  • Incorrect: J’ai allé l’entretien.
  • Correct: J’ai réussi l’entretien.

Why it fails: ‘Aller’ is an intransitive verb of movement and cannot take a direct object like ‘l’entretien’ to mean ‘to pass’ or ‘to undergo’. ‘Réussir’ is the correct verb for success.

❌ Pitfall 2: Grammatical Trap (Click to Reveal)
  • Incorrect: Comment l’entretien est allé?
  • Correct: Comment l’entretien s’est-il passé?

Why it fails: To describe how an event unfolded, the reflexive verb ‘se passer’ is used, conjugated with ‘être’. ‘Aller’ alone is not used in this construction for events.