Breakdown of On m'a permis de quitter la régie.
on
one / we (informal)
avoir
to have
me
me, myself (object pronoun)
quitter
to leave (a place or person)
de
to (introducing an infinitive after a verb)
permettre
to allow (to enable, make possible)
la régie
the control room
Questions & Answers about On m'a permis de quitter la régie.
Why is this sentence translated using on instead of saying J'ai été permis?
This ties into your current lesson. In French, the verb permettre requires an indirect object for the person (permettre à quelqu'un). Unlike English, French never allows an indirect object to become the subject of a passive sentence. Because you cannot say J'ai été permis, you must rephrase using the active voice with the indefinite pronoun on: On m'a permis (literally, 'One has permitted to me').
Is m' a direct or indirect object pronoun here?
It is an indirect object pronoun, representing à moi. The pronoun me (which elides to m' before a vowel) is used for both direct and indirect objects in the first person singular. If this sentence were about a third person, you would clearly see the indirect pronoun form: On lui a permis de quitter la régie (He/she was allowed to leave the control room).
Why is there a de before quitter?
The verb permettre requires the preposition de when it introduces an infinitive action. The full pattern to memorize is permettre à quelqu'un de faire quelque chose (to allow someone to do something).
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