on est là
The English phrase "we out here" can be translated into French as on est là.
The expression is used to signal presence, resilience or to show that one is still active and surviving in a particular scene or environment. It can be understood as meaning "we are out here" or "we are still here".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
on est là is an informal expression. The use of on instead of nous to mean "we" provides the slangy nuance found in the English phrase.
How does it change in a sentence?
In this context, on is used colloquially to mean "we", even though it is grammatically a third-person singular pronoun.
Did you know?
- While on est là signals resilience today, the word on shares the same Latin origin as the word homme, meaning 'man'.
- In the expression on est là, the accent on là is a visual safeguard. Without that small grave accent, the word would be identical to the feminine article la, which means 'the'.
- The word là is a linguistic cousin to the Spanish allá and Portuguese lá. All three words trace their lineage back to the same Latin root to indicate a specific place.
Examples in context
- On est dehors, on profite!We out here, enjoying ourselves!
- On est là, on fait notre truc.We out here, doing our thing.
- On est là, malgré les difficultés.We're out here, despite the difficulties.
- On est là, prêts pour la fête !We're out here, ready for the party!
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are checking in with friends via a video call.
- NathanAlors, comment ça va de votre côté ?So, how are things going on your end?
- ChloéOn est là, on survit !We're out here, just surviving!
- NathanChloé, tu as l'air en forme quand même.Chloé, you look good though.
- ChloéOui, on est là et on ne lâche rien.Yes, we're out here and we're not giving up.
