The expression s'en aller can be a little hard to get your head around, but it just means to leave or go away.
How to use "s'en aller" in French
s'en aller in the Present tense (Le Présent)
s'en aller as an imperative (L'Impératif)
You can use it to tell people to go away:
If you want to understand the structure (you don't have to but it's interesting), the en part is actually a replacement (pronoun) for an unspoken d'ici or de [place] so it means from here or from [place].
So,
is structurally similar to get yourself out of here.
s'en aller in the conversational past tense (Le Passé Composé)
Since it's reflexive, it can get complicated in the Passé Composé.
Note that in these cases, the en will be directly before or after être: formally, it should be before, but in practice, it often ends up after.
Want to make sure your French sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
Il s'est en allé.He left.
Qui s'en va sifflant, soufflant,
Dans les grands sapins verts, oh !Long live the winter wind,
that goes whistling, blowing,
through the big green pine trees, oh!
