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What's the noun corresponding to the verb aller?

Should we say: “une allure”, or what?

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  • 1
    What is it in english? – mouviciel Oct 9 '13 at 10:53
  • @mouviciel: "Going", as in "When the going gets tough, the tough get going". – Harry Audus Aug 9 '19 at 11:05
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There are various substantives.

allée : narrow passage, usually pedestrian, between two walls or rows of trees ; it used to mean also "the fact of aller", but survives only in "les allées et venues" (= comings and goings)

aller : usually a ticket (bus, train, plane) ; aller simple (a single), aller et retour (a return) ; it used to be "the fact of aller", but survives only in "le pis-aller" (= stopgap)

allure :

a) = speed or pace ; "la voiture roulait à vive allure" = the car was running fast

b) = walk, gait ; "son allure était hésitante" = his walk was hesitant/not sure

c) = appearance ; "il avait mauvaise allure" = He had a bad appearance or his look was not engaging.

d) = ways ; "il choque par sa liberté d'allure" = his unconventional behaviour is shocking ou He shocks by his liberty of ways.

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    allant is also derived from ALLER, avoir de l'allant 'to be energetic' – GAM PUB Jan 24 '16 at 10:32
  • Allure meaning speed is a very new meaning for the term. Allure traditionally means the way you make yourself attractive. – Charlie Mike No Shoot Jan 25 '16 at 22:05
5

I'd say it's simply un aller, like in un aller-retour or un aller simple.

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2

Le sens le plus conforme, et utilisable dans presque tous les cas est:

Un déplacement.

Le terme suivant correspond à une partie de l'action d'aller:

Un mouvement.

Le terme suivant correspond à la fois au déplacement (l'action), et au tracé (sur une carte par exemple):

Un trajet, un parcours.

Lorsque le déplacement est plutôt important ou exceptionnel, ou est précisé, on peut employer:

Un aller (et un aller-retour). Un aller pour l'enfer, un aller simple.

On dit plus souvent (et notamment lorsque le déplacement est banal):

La venue, votre venue.

venue est le substantif rattaché à venir, c'est le résultat final qui paraît le plus important.

Lorsqu'il est répétitif (sans être nécessairement exceptionnel):

Vos allers.

Vos allées et venues.

Le terme aller est aussi fréquemment lié aux transports commerciaux (bus, avions, trains, ...) et tickets (voir aller-retour);

Le terme allure n'a pas ce sens, et se rattache à la vitesse (à vive allure, à petite allure, à toute allure), ou à la manière, et par extension à l'aspect. voir http://www.littre.org/definition/allure

http://cnrtl.fr/definition/allure

et l'étymologie : http://www.cnrtl.fr/etymologie/allure

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  • +1 for mentioning "parcours" which at least goes well with "parcourir." (please see my comment under Charlie's answer) – Papa Poule Jan 23 '16 at 23:54
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    @comethapaxd'ajax - merci, car impossible de faire un permalien sur l'atilf – guillaume girod-vitouchkina Jan 24 '16 at 11:49
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Dans le sens go/no go à propos de la décision ou non de démarrer un projet, on peut dire feu vert: J'ai obtenu le feu vert de ma hiérarchie pour réaliser cette action.

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1

If you consider To Go the verb you are trying to translate as a gerundive, then there is no specific translation of Going into French, as usual between Germanic and Romanic languages. This is a case by case.

How would you translate "When the going gets tough, the tough gets going"? Good luck with that one.

Allure is not a derivative of Aller, but instead of a Germanic term for To Lure with the prefix ad meaning towards oneself. It therefore defines how you make yourself attractive, not how you are going around.

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    +1 for the interesting suggestion/challenge to find a more literal translation of "When the going gets tough ..." that captures the going better than the standard one ("Quand les choses se corsent, les durs s'y mettent"). How about: "Quand le parcours devient dur, les durs parcourent!"? – Papa Poule Jan 23 '16 at 23:49
  • The TLFi disagrees with your etymology making it a word derived from ALLER with the suffix ure (moisissure, foulure, bavure, déchirure, gravure, etc.). – GAM PUB Jan 24 '16 at 10:39
  • I did specifically state exactly the same thing, but whatever, I guess. – Charlie Mike No Shoot Jan 25 '16 at 22:02
-1

You could also use "une promenade", depending on what you want to express.

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