What does it mean word for word?
Literally, on est allés translates to "one is gone" or "one has gone", but it functions as the standard way to say "we went" in everyday French.
Which one should you use?
While on est allés is the most common way to say "we went" in spoken, informal French, nous sommes allés is the formal equivalent used more frequently in writing or very formal speech. To convey the idea of "we moved" or "we traveled" in a formal context, you might use Nous nous sommes déplacés or you can use Nous nous sommes rendus to express that "we went" somewhere formally.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
on est allés is a casual way to say "we went" and is the most common way to express this in spoken, informal French. For more formal situations, use nous sommes allés, Nous nous sommes rendus or Nous nous sommes déplacés.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In parts of Quebec, Canada, the informal phrase Nous avons été can be used to express "we went".
How does it change in a sentence?
In casual spoken French, the past participle in on est allés often remains in the singular masculine form allé, even if the on refers to a group. However, if the group referred to by on consists entirely of women, the past participle takes the feminine plural form allées.
Did you know?
- The pronoun on used in on est allés is a linguistic relative of the English word 'man', as both trace back to terms meaning 'human being' or 'person'.
- In Quebec, speakers may use Nous avons été to say 'we went', which uses the verb 'to have' instead of 'to be'.
- In very formal French, instead of saying 'we went', speakers may use Nous nous sommes rendus, which literally means 'we rendered ourselves' to a place.
Examples in context
- On est allés à la plage le week-end dernier pour nager.We went to the beach last weekend to swim.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase on est allés in the context of a past weekend activity.Tatoeba #10556361 by lbdx, translation #10550184 by CK
- Tu te rappelles la fois où on est allés à Boston ensemble ?Do you remember the time we went to Boston together?This sentence uses on est allés to ask about a shared past experience.Tatoeba #7955515 by Micsmithel, translation #3024434 by CK
- On est allés au marché, j'ai acheté de la farine.We went to the market, and I bought some flour.This sentence shows how to use on est allés when describing a trip to a market.Tatoeba #12969554 by menaud, translation #12969556 by menaud
- Nous sommes allés au bureau hier.We went to the office yesterday.
- Nous nous sommes déplacés pour assister à la réunion.We went/moved to attend the meeting.
- Nous nous sommes rendus à l'événement spécial.We went to the special event.
- Nous sommes partis en vacances.We went on vacation.
- Nous sommes allés au cinéma hier soir.We went to the movies last night.
- On est allés chez mes grands-parents.We went to my grandparents' house.
- Nous sommes allés à la réunion hier.We went to the meeting yesterday.
- On est allés au parc avec nos amis.We went to the park with our friends.
- Nous avons été à la plage cet été.We went to the beach this summer.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Gabriel are talking about their recent trip to the mountains.
- ManonC'était génial quand on est allés à la montagne.It was great when we went to the mountains.
- GabrielOui, j'ai adoré faire des randonnées avec toi.Yes, I loved hiking with you.
- ManonOn est allés dans un endroit magnifique.We went to a magnificent place.
- GabrielIl faut qu'on y retourne l'année prochaine.We must go back there next year.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries est, on, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
