That we can have/ que l'on peut avoir

Hillary H.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

That we can have/ que l'on peut avoir

Bonjour !

When do you use "on" and "l'on" when we talked about "we"?

This question relates to:French writing exercise "Living abroad"

Freeform Writing Exercise B2

Asked 3 years ago

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Paul F.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor Correct answer

The "l" is completely optional and is sometimes added between "que" and "on". It has no meaning, but it's only purpose is to sound better i.e. so that it doesn't sound like "con" which is a bit of an impolite word in French. In the written exercises they will usually allow both alternatives as being equally correct.

Like43 years ago

Paul F.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Or also (as in this exercise) between "où" and "on" (où l'on) because 2 vowels together sometimes doesn't sound so good to French ears. Again it is optional and probably a bit more formal.

Like43 years ago

Hillary H.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Thank you, Paul! That was very helpful.

Like03 years ago

Hillary H. asked: