Learn French: Pourquoi on ne propose pas un musée ?

Pourquoi on ne propose pas un musée ?

Why don't we suggest a museum?

Breakdown of Pourquoi on ne propose pas un musée ?

a / an (masculine)

one / we (informal)

not (used before the verb)

pas

not (used after the verb)

Questions & Answers about Pourquoi on ne propose pas un musée ?

Why does the translation say "we" when the French word used is on?

In everyday spoken French, on is almost always used instead of nous to mean "we". While on traditionally translates to "one" (as in "one must be careful"), native speakers use it constantly as an informal "we".

If on means "we", why isn't the verb conjugated as proposons?

Even though on means "we" in conversation, it is still grammatically a third-person singular pronoun. You must always conjugate the verb exactly as you would for il (he) or elle (she). That is why we use propose instead of the nous form (proposons).

Where exactly do ne and pas go when making this sentence negative?

The negative words sandwich the conjugated verb. The ne goes directly after the subject on, and the pas goes right after the verb propose. This gives us on ne propose pas (we don't suggest).

Why is there no est-ce que in this question?

In informal, spoken French (which matches the casual use of on), you can ask a question simply by putting a question word like pourquoi (why) at the beginning of a normal statement. You don't need to add est-ce que or flip the subject and verb around.