On — le pronom polyvalent
The versatile pronoun 'on' — we, one, they, people
Can understand and use 'on' in its various meanings in everyday French
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
On va au cinéma ce soir ?
Shall we go to the cinema tonight?
En France, on mange beaucoup de fromage.
In France, people eat a lot of cheese.
On est contents de te voir !
We're happy to see you!
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Le pronom on est un des mots les plus utilisés en français parlé. Il a plusieurs sens :
| Sens | Équivalent | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| nous (familier) | we | On mange au restaurant. = Nous mangeons au restaurant. |
| les gens (général) | people, they, one | En France, on boit du vin. |
| quelqu'un | someone | On frappe à la porte. |
Conjugaison : On se conjugue toujours comme il/elle (3e personne du singulier) :
- On parle (pas *on parlons)
- On est content (pas *on sommes)
- On va partir
Accord : Quand on = nous, l'adjectif peut s'accorder au pluriel : On est contents. (nous sommes contents)
Common Error Patterns
Conjugated on with plural verb form
On always takes 3rd person singular: on parle, on va, on est (not *on parlons, *on allons, *on sommes).
On va au cinéma ce soir ?
Shall we go to the cinema tonight?
On = nous (informal). Very common in everyday French instead of 'nous'.
En France, on mange beaucoup de fromage.
In France, people eat a lot of cheese.
On = people in general. Used for cultural generalizations.
On est contents de te voir !
We're happy to see you!
On = nous. The adjective 'contents' is plural to agree with the real meaning (nous), even though the verb is singular.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises