The 3 meanings of on
The indefinite pronoun on has a number of uses.
On and nous share the same meaning in spoken French. Note that on is nonetheless always followed by a verb in the 3rd person singular (the same conjugation as for il and elle).
On and nous share the same meaning in spoken French. Note that on is nonetheless always followed by a verb in the 3rd person singular (the same conjugation as for il and elle).
On a bien rigolé. We had a good laugh.
On a faim ! We're hungry!
On s'aime. We love each other.
On a faim ! We're hungry!
On s'aime. We love each other.
It can describe general facts, people in general, or an unspecified person (the equivalent of "we", "you" or "they"):
Au Mexique, on mange des tacos, et en France on boit du vin. In Mexico they eat tacos, in France they drink wine.
On ne peut pas comparer Londres et Paris. You can't compare London and Paris.
On ne peut pas comparer Londres et Paris. You can't compare London and Paris.
It can be used to refer to an action without specifying who did it (the equivalent of the passive voice in English):
On m'a volé mon portable. = Quelqu'un a volé mon portable. My phone was stolen / Someone stole my phone.
On m'a enlevé trois dents. I had three teeth removed.
On m'a enlevé trois dents. I had three teeth removed.
On a faim ! On a faim ! On a faim !...
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