on - French Definition & Examples

on

/ɔ̃/

pronounSing3

we (colloquial, used instead of nous)

On va au resto ce soir ?

Are we going to the restaurant tonight?

Synonyms:nous

pronounSing3

one, people, someone, they (generic or indefinite subject)

used to form an impersonal or passive-like construction (e.g., "On m'a dit...")

On m'a dit que c'était fermé.

Someone told me it was closed.

Synonyms:quelqu'un, les gens, tout le monde, ils (informal)

Notes

On is an indefinite pronoun, always conjugated with a 3rd person singular verb. It means "one," "we," "you," "they," or "people in general."

It often replaces "nous" in informal speech (e.g., "On va manger" - We are going to eat).

It also expresses a general truth or unspecified subject: "On dit que..." (People say that...).

Verbs with on are *always* 3rd person singular.

However, if on clearly refers to a specific group (e.g., "we"), adjectives or past participles may agree in number and gender: "On est allé(e)s."