To say “Where did you go last weekend?” in French, you would say:
“Où es-tu allé(e) le week-end dernier ?”
Let’s break this down in detail:
1. Où = Where
- This is the French word for “where,” used to ask about a place or location.
2. es-tu allé(e) = Did you go
- Es-tu is the inversion of the subject (“tu” meaning “you”) and the auxiliary verb “être” (to be) in the past tense (passé composé). It is used to ask about an action that occurred in the past.
- Allé(e) is the past participle of the verb “aller” (to go). The ending -é is added to the verb when forming the past participle.
- Allé is used if the person you’re speaking to is male.
- Allée is used if the person is female. The -e at the end is added to agree with a feminine subject.
So:
- Où es-tu allé ? = Where did you go? (to a male)
- Où es-tu allée ? = Where did you go? (to a female)
- The past tense construction here (passé composé) combines être (to be) with the past participle of the verb “aller.”
3. le week-end dernier = Last weekend
- Le is the French definite article (the), which is used here because “weekend” is a masculine noun.
- Week-end is the same word in French as in English, though it is typically hyphenated in French.
- Dernier means “last,” and it agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes. Since “week-end” is masculine, “dernier” stays in its masculine form.
Full Sentence:
- “Où es-tu allé le week-end dernier ?” (if speaking to a male)
- “Où es-tu allée le week-end dernier ?” (if speaking to a female)
Alternatives and More Polite Forms:
If you want to ask in a more formal or polite way (for example, addressing someone with vous instead of tu), you would change the subject pronoun and adjust the verb form:
“Où êtes-vous allé(e) le week-end dernier ?”
- Où êtes-vous: “Where did you (formal) go?”
- Êtes-vous is the formal version of es-tu (you are, in the formal sense).
- Allé(e): Still agree with the gender of the person you’re addressing.
Other Variations:
- “Qu’as-tu fait le week-end dernier ?” – This means “What did you do last weekend?” It’s a bit more general if you’re asking about the activities rather than just the destination.
Important Notes:
- French is a language that emphasizes gender agreement. If you’re speaking to a female person, remember to add the extra -e at the end of allée.
- Week-end is borrowed from English, so the French pronunciation is similar to the English version, but the spelling uses a hyphen, which is typical for certain borrowed terms in French.
So, if you’re asking someone where they went last weekend, “Où es-tu allé(e) le week-end dernier ?” is the most accurate and commonly used phrase!