On va se voir au café après le boulot.

In everyday French, on very often means we instead of the more formal nous.

So:

• On va se voir = We’re going to see each other / meet
• More formal: Nous allons nous voir

Literally, on can also mean one or people in general, but in casual conversation it very commonly replaces nous.

Because the verb has to match the subject.

• on takes 3rd person singular verb forms
• so you say on va
• not on allons

Compare:

• nous allons = we are going
• on va = we are going

Even when on means we, the verb still stays singular.

Va is the present tense of aller (to go) with on:

• on va = we are going

But in on va se voir, it is not about physically going somewhere by itself. It is part of the very common structure:

• aller + infinitive = going to + verb

So:

• on va se voir = we’re going to see each other / meet

Se voir is the reflexive form of voir (to see).

• voir = to see
• se voir = to see oneself / to see each other, depending on context

In this sentence, it means to see each other, so naturally it is understood as to meet.

So:

• On va se voir = We’re going to see each other
• very natural English meaning: We’re going to meet

In French, when you use a reflexive verb in the infinitive, the reflexive pronoun stays directly in front of the infinitive.

So:

• se voir = to see each other
• se retrouver = to meet up
• se parler = to talk to each other

That is why you get:

• on va se voir

not:

• on va voir se

They are similar in meaning, but not in style.

• On va se voir = very common, natural spoken French
• Nous nous verrons = more formal or more literary, using the simple future

Both can mean we’ll see each other, but in everyday speech French speakers often prefer:

• on va + infinitive

So this sentence sounds conversational and natural.

Au café usually means at the café or to the café, depending on context.

Here, with se voir, it means:

• at the café
• or more naturally in English, at the café / in the café

Grammatically, au is a contraction of:

• à + le = au

So:

• au café = at/to the café

Because in French, à + le contracts to au.

This is a basic contraction:

• à + le = au
• à + les = aux

Examples:

• au café = at/to the café
• au cinéma = at/to the cinema
• aux États-Unis = in/to the United States

So à le café is not correct.

Boulot is an informal word meaning work or job.

So:

• après le boulot = after work

It is very common in everyday spoken French, but it is less formal than travail.

Compare:

• après le boulot = casual
• après le travail = more neutral / standard

Not really. Even though boulot can mean job, in this expression the natural English meaning is after work.

So:

• après le boulot = after work
• not usually after the job

French often uses le boulot or le travail in expressions where English simply says work.

French often uses an article where English does not.

Here:

• après le boulot
• literally: after the work/job
• natural English: after work

This is very common. French and English do not always use articles in the same way, so it is best to learn these expressions as chunks.

In this sentence, café means café or coffee shop, not the drink.

Why?

Because of au café:

• au café = at the café

If it meant the drink, the structure would be different, for example:

• prendre un café = to have a coffee

So here café refers to the place.

It is clearly casual, everyday French.

The main clues are:

• on instead of nous
• aller + infinitive (va se voir) instead of a more formal future
• boulot instead of travail

A more formal version might be:

• Nous allons nous voir au café après le travail.

But the original sentence sounds very natural in conversation.

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly.

• au café often suggests at the café, possibly a specific or understood one
• dans un café means in a café, often less specific, like in some café

So:

• On va se voir au café = We’ll meet at the café
• On va se voir dans un café = We’ll meet in a café

Both are possible, but au café sounds more natural if the place is known or understood.

A natural pronunciation would be roughly:

on va s’voir au café après l’boulot

In casual speech:

• se voir may sound a bit like s’voir
• le boulot may sound like l’boulot

You may also hear smooth linking between words, but not every written consonant is strongly pronounced. The sentence should sound fluid and relaxed, since it is conversational French.