Possessive Pronoun for On

ChauA1Kwiziq community member

Possessive Pronoun for On

What is the possessive pronoun for "on"? Is there a fixed one or does it depend on the situation i.e. whether "on" is used as a replacement for vous or nous? Thank you!

Asked 4 years ago
CécileKwiziq team memberCorrect answer

Hi Chau, 

It depends whether 'on' replaces 'nous' or the universal 'one' or 'people', meaning everyone -

On gagne bien sa vie ici You are well paid here

On a tous nos démons, nos secrets We all have our demons, our secrets

On a tous ses démons = Everyone has his/her demons

C'est la personne à qui on doit donner son rapport = She/he is the person who you have to give your report to 

Hope this helps!

BenA2Kwiziq community member

I understand that when on replaces nous, it is correct to say: On a tous nos démons
I understand that when on replaces "one" it is correct to say: On a tous ses démons
I do not understand that when on replaces "tu" it is incorrect to say: Alors, on ne dit pas bonjours a ton papa?
Is this just a matter of usage?

CécileKwiziq team member

Hi Ben,

In the case of -

Alors, on ne dit pas bonjour à son papa ?So, you are not saying hello to your (own) daddy ?

Which is an informal way to say the same thing as :

 

Alors, tu ne dis pas bonjour à ton papa ?

Hope this helps!

Possessive Pronoun for On

What is the possessive pronoun for "on"? Is there a fixed one or does it depend on the situation i.e. whether "on" is used as a replacement for vous or nous? Thank you!

Sign in to submit your answer

Don't have an account yet? Join today

Ask a question

Find your French level for FREE

Test your French to the CEFR standard

Find your French level
Thinking...