Using notre/nos versus son/sa/ses with "on" depending on its meaning (French Possessive Adjectives)

In French, when you use start a sentence with the subject pronoun "on" and you need to use a possessive adjective, you can either use "son/sa/ses" or "notre/nos".

Possessive adjectives with 'on' in French

On est son propre maître.One is one's own master 

On aime toujours sa famille.One always loves one's family. / People always love their family.

On mange notre repas.We are eating our meal.

On porte nos sacs.We are carrying our bags.

Possessive phrases containing on can use either : 

- son/sa/ses if on is used in a general sense (one, people)
or
-notre/nos when on means we

 

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Examples and resources

ON - "we"


On mange notre repas.We are eating our meal.
On porte nos sacs.We are carrying our bags.

ON - general meaning, "one"/"people"


On est son propre maître.One is one's own master 
On aime toujours sa famille.One always loves one's family. / People always love their family.
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