Dictionary / I have to go
How to Say "I have to go" in French
Je dois y aller
/ʒə dwa i ale/
Literally: I must go there
Je dois
I must
y
there
aller
go
Good to know
Il faut que j'y aille is the slightly more apologetic version and buys you a softer exit. Je m'en vais (I'm off) is blunter and fine among friends.
Correct
Je dois y aller
What people say wrong
Je dois aller
incomplete, the sentence stops mid-thought
The mistake to avoid. The y isn't optional. French needs somewhere to go, even when it's unspecified, so je dois aller leaves the sentence hanging in a way natives hear instantly.
In context
Désolé, je dois y aller.
Sorry, I have to go.
Il faut que j'y aille, il est tard.
I should get going, it's late.
On y va ?
Shall we go?