Hi Cathy ,
You can also think 'people' or 'in general' to the general rather than specific statements.
Hope this helps!
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.
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
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
Q&A Forum 3 questions, 6 answers
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
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).
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DzoanKwiziq community member
on nous vs on se?
For reflexive verbs, is it always on se or can it be on nous? For example, we talk (to each other) everyday = on se parle tous les jours. Can it be on nous parle?
Asked 2 years ago
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!
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
I have only ever encountered "on se....". You are, of course, free to say "Nous nous parlon...." but you already knew that, I am sure.
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Hi Dzoan,
"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)
Dzoan asked:View original
on nous vs on se?
For reflexive verbs, is it always on se or can it be on nous? For example, we talk (to each other) everyday = on se parle tous les jours. Can it be on nous parle?
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AndrewKwiziq community member
Why use notre and not nos
I can't see how to decide which to use when used in this context
Asked 2 years ago
AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour Andrew !
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:
Notre, nos, votre, vos, leur, leurs = our, your, their (possessive adjectives)
I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt !
Andrew asked:View original
Why use notre and not nos
I can't see how to decide which to use when used in this context
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