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':
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.
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Q&A
Chris
Kwiziq community member
6/11/17
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
Jim
Kwiziq community member
7/11/17
"On" can only take the reflexive pronoun "se".
"Nous" only takes the reflexive pronoun "nous".
It is incorrect to mix these pronouns in the way you ask -- "On nous parle tous les jours" is not correct -- it has to be "On se parle ------"
Regards,
Alan (Non native speaker)
Cécile
Kwiziq language super star
22/06/18
Hi Dzoan,
I can confirm the reflexive pronoun for on/il/elle is 'se'.
On se parle tous les jours. = We speak to each other every day.
On nous parle tous les jours = They speak to us every day.
Hope this helps!
Andrew
Kwiziq community member
7 February 2017
1 reply
Why use notre and not nos
I can't see how to decide which to use when used in this context
Aurélie
Kwiziq language super star
8/02/17
Unfortunately here I cannot see the example you're referring to, but here's the rule for using "notre" vs "nos" :
- if the noun following is plural, "our dogS", then you use "nos" -> "nos chiens"
- if the noun following is singular, "our cat", then you use "notre" -> "notre chat"
Here's a link to the related lesson:
https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/my-languages/french/view/3113
I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt !
Cathy
Kwiziq community member
21 February 2018
1 reply
How to determine if it's a general statement
Chris
Kwiziq community member
21 February 2018
21/02/18
Hi Cathy,
if substituting "one" for "on" makes more sense than "we", it is a general statement. For example:
On prend nos vacances l'été. -- We take our vacation in summer (we = us in particular).
On prend ses vacances l'été. -- One takes one's vacation in summer (we = in general).
I hope that helps, -- Chris (not a native speaker).