On vs Nous

Question

For the last section, would it also be ok to use "on" instead of "nous": "on peut enfin ouvrir nos cadeaux !"? I thought that was acceptable, but Kwiziq didn't seem to like it.

Accepted Answer

Hi Gareth, 
I have just done this exercise and there was an earlier prompt which said -
use 'nous' for the whole text
and that is why it wasn't accepted...

Answer

Hi Cécile,

I understand this technicality in the set up of the exercise, but in practice, can we interchange the use of "on" and "nous" in the same sentence or couple of sentences of a conversation? I'm specifically wondering about a spoken context, rather than a written one.

Thanks!

Answer

Hi Uber, 
In the sentence that was offered by Gareth, it would be technically more correct to say- 
On peut enfin ouvrir ses cadeaux
I don't think that you French people would naturally use a mixture of 'nous' and 'on' in the same sentence as they are governed from a young age by the rigor of the language but I am not saying it is not done.
Sometimes 'on' is used for the speed of delivery as in comments like -
Allez, on y va! = Come on, let's go!
'nous' being also too formal for that!
I often pay attention to the language spoken when watching a French film (which rather spoils it) but is very interesting particularly with the use of 'tu' and 'vous' which I am writing a blog about.
Hope this helps!

Answer

Merci Cécile! I'd be very interested to read your blog post when it's available.