Pourquoi est-ce qu'on n'invite pas le professeur ?

From Lesson 66:Informal 'we' (on)·French

Questions & Answers about Pourquoi est-ce qu'on n'invite pas le professeur ?

Why does on mean "we" here, and why does the verb look singular?
In casual spoken French, people use on to mean "we" much more often than nous. Even though it translates to "we" in this sentence, on is always grammatically singular (just like "he" or "she"). That is why the verb is invite (the il/elle form) instead of the nous form.
Why is there an apostrophe in qu'on?
Qu'on is a combination of the word que and on. Because on starts with a vowel, the e at the end of que is dropped and replaced with an apostrophe. This helps the words flow together smoothly without two vowel sounds clashing.
Where is the ne for the negative ne ... pas?
It is hiding in the n' right before the verb! The full negative structure is on ne invite pas, but because invite starts with a vowel, the ne drops its e and shrinks to n'. The verb is perfectly sandwiched between n' and pas.
Why is the verb translated as "aren't inviting" instead of "don't invite"?
French does not have a separate tense for actions happening right now. The simple present tense in French (like on n'invite pas) covers both "we don't invite" and "we aren't inviting". The English translation just uses whichever version sounds most natural in this context.

Learn Pourquoi est-ce qu'on n'invite pas le professeur and more in French

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free