The informal "we": on
In formal or written French, "we" is nous. However, in everyday spoken French, almost everyone uses the pronoun on instead.
Even though it means "we", on always takes the third-person singular verb form—exactly like il and elle.
| We are taking a walk tonight. | On fait une promenade ce soir. |
| Why don't we suggest a museum? | Pourquoi on ne propose pas un musée ? |
Making plans together
Use on to make plans, suggest activities, or invite friends. You can form questions with on just like other pronouns: add est-ce que or simply raise the pitch of your voice at the end of the sentence.
| Are we having a picnic at noon? | Est-ce qu'on fait un pique-nique à midi ? |
| We are organizing a party this weekend. | On organise une soirée ce week-end. |
You will often hear d'accord (okay / agreed) and ensemble (together) when planning group outings.
| Okay, we are going to the museum together. | D'accord, on va au musée ensemble. |
| Okay, we are splitting the bill. | D'accord, on partage l'addition. |
Reflexives and possessives with on
When you use a reflexive verb like se promener (to take a walk) with on, the reflexive pronoun matches the third-person subject: use se, not nous.
| Tomorrow, we are taking a walk on the beach. | Demain, on se promène sur la plage. |
However, because on means "we", you still use the "we" possessive adjectives (notre and nos) for things that belong to the group.
| We are inviting our neighbor to the party. | On invite notre voisin à la soirée. |
| We are discussing our project. | On discute de notre projet. |
