Question 1

If on means "we" here, why do the verbs look singular?

Accepted Answer

Even though on means "we" in casual conversation, it is grammatically a singular pronoun—just like il (he) or elle (she). That means you always use the "he/she" form of the verb with it. So, il prend (he takes) becomes on prend (we take), and il discute (he chats) becomes on discute (we chat).

Question 2

Why use prend (to take) instead of a word for "have" or "drink"?

Accepted Answer

In French, the verb prendre (to take) is the most common and natural way to talk about having food or drinks. While you could say on boit le café (we drink coffee), on prend le café is the standard way to say "we are having coffee."

Question 3

Why does the sentence use le café (the coffee) instead of just café?

Accepted Answer

In English, we can just say "having coffee," but French almost always requires a small word (an article) in front of a noun. Prendre le café is a common set phrase that means having a casual coffee together. You could also say on prend un café (we are having a coffee).

Question 4

Does discute mean we are having a serious discussion?

Accepted Answer

Not necessarily! Even though discuter looks like the English word "discuss," it is often used simply to mean "to chat" or "to talk casually." Here, on discute just means "we are chatting."

On prend le café et on discute.

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