# FR: on se / nous nous + reflexive verb - pronoun choice



## mully

Bonjour,
I've a grammar question:

When we use "on" in the sense of 'nous', how do we then conjugate reflexive verbs?  I have seen "Nous, on va faire.."  So I am wondering if we use reflexive 'on' verbs with 'se' or 'nous'.  

EX: Would we say 'On va *nous* amuser ce soir'?  Or 'On va *s'*amuser ce soir'?  

EX: What about after 'que'?  On mangera apres qu'on finit *se (nous*?) doucher?  In this case, the 'se' would confuse me because it sounds like we are give EACH OTHER baths instead of taking our own seperate showers at the same time.  

Merci

*Moderator note:* Multiple threads merged to create this one. The present discussion is not about the agreement of the past participle or adjective after _on_ used instead of _nous_. If that is the topic you are interested in, please see FR: on (= nous, tu, etc.) + past participle & adjective agreement. See also FR: on / nous - generalities.


----------



## titi22

On va *s'*amuser ce soir. […] On mangera après qu'on *se* soit douchés/qu'on ait fini de se doucher.


----------



## verbivore

If you want to say in French, "*We* will me later then", which pronoun is required in the following usage: _On *se *ou On *nous *rencontrera plus tard alors ?_

In conversation I often say "se" in this context, but I think I am wrong and need to start using "nous." (The problem is that no one corrects me on this.) If I use "se" the meaning of "on" becomes "they" as opposed to "we", correct?  Mille mercis


----------



## Peter&Steven

En langage courant, "on" est souvent employé à la place de "nous" : "on va au cinéma ce soir" au lieu de "nous allons au cinéma ce soir". En langage littéraire, il vaut mieux éviter les "on".

Dans ton cas, il faut bien dire "On *se* verra plus tard". Quand tu as une forme pronominale (verbes sous la forme "se" + infinitif : par exemple se rencontrer, s'aider, se promener...), on a "je me...", "tu te...", "il se...", "elle se...", "on se...", "nous nous...", "vous vous...", "ils se..." ou "elles se..." mais jamais "*On nous*..."


----------



## Avignonais

On se retrouvera plus tard. This could mean we will see each other later OR (in general) people will see each other later.

Because, it is informal and inexact, it is OK to use in speech (and quite common), BUT in writing my professors encouraged me to use Nous nous retrouverons plus tard OR Ils se retrouveronts (depending on which I meant). Overuse of On se retrouvera..., etc., was discouraged.

But, the rule remains (as both Peter and Steven have said ) : On goes with se; Nous goes with nous


----------



## Jacques818

Bonsoir tout le monde! J'essaie d'utiliser "on" de plus en plus quand je parle (puisque j'ai entendu que "on" devient de plus en plus usité que nous, est-ce vrai?) et j'ai un petit problème. Quand on utilise "on" pour remplacer "nous", quel pronom personnel est le bon pronom à utiliser? Par exemple si je veux dire "Nous allons nous préparer pour la fête", est-ce que je dirais "on va se préparer pour la fête" ou "on va nous préparer pour la fête"? Quelle traduction est plus correcte? Merci tout le monde!


----------



## envie de voyager

"On" is always third person singular. Use "se" with "on" the same as you would use "se" with "il."


----------



## Fred_C

Bonjour
Le pronom _*réfléchi* _(our*selves*) qui correspond à "on" est "se". 
Mais le pronom objet non réfléchi est "nous".
("Tu nous vois" ne peut pas se dire en utilisant le pronom "on" ni en utilisant "se".)


----------



## bloop123

Hi everyone

Quick question
I was wondering when 'on' is used instead of 'nous', is it better to use 'nous' or 'se' as the reflexive pronoun?

Eg on s'amuse 
Or on nous amusons


----------



## radagasty

If you use _on_, verbal and pronominal agreement must be with the third-person singular: _On se tutoie_?
[Of course, this does not apply to adjectival (including participles) and nominal agreement.]


----------



## bloop123

Does that mean if I want to express it in the passé composé the agreement would still be plural despite a singular subject?

Eg on s'est amusé(e)s


----------



## Beauceron-puppy

bloop123

oui exactement !
Mais si j'ai bien compris, l'accord se fait ou ne se fait pas selon le cas, et la nuance est souvent subtile.
Comme le précise ce thread, il vaut donc mieux éviter l'emploi du *on* à l'écrit pour ne pas faire d'erreur.
http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=51739


----------



## bloop123

Ok I understand that on can be used instead of nous but does this apply to other pronouns?
Eg in English we often use our/their/your instead of the 'correct' one's
Can you use son/sa/ses instead of notre?


----------



## jann

bloop123 said:


> Eg in English we often use our/their/your instead of the 'correct' one's
> Can you use son/sa/ses instead of notre?


That's an entirely different question.  

This thread is about the reflexive pronoun: 

_on *se*_ + reflexive verb in 3rd person singular 
_nous *nous*_ + reflexive verb in 2nd 1st person plural 
but
_on nous_ + reflexive verb  <-- never, not even when you're using _on_ as an informal synonym of _nous_.  If you use _on nous + _verb, then _on_ and _nous_ are different people, and it means that _on_ did something to or for _nous_.  In other words, it forces _nous_ to be an object pronoun instead of a reflexive pronoun.

If you're wondering about using _son/sa/ses _vs. _notre/nos_ with _on_, that's the posessive adjective.  If you're using _on_ as an informal synonym of _nous _-- which is to say that you really do mean "our" -- then you'll stick with _notre/nos_.  In other contexts, when you really mean "one's" or "their," you won't use _notre/nos_.  But that's the subject of a different discussion.  Please see  FR: on (= nous, tu, etc.) + past participle & adjective agreement.


----------



## bloop123

Thanks for your help. So essentially this on/nous switching only works for the nominative and reflexives which just agree with the subject and once we go in to any other case, the pronoun basically corresponds to logic?


----------



## jann

bloop123 said:


> So essentially this on/nous switching only works for the nominative and reflexives which just agree with the subject


Yes...


> and once we go in to any other case, the pronoun basically corresponds to logic?


I guess you might put it that way.  The trouble is that what seems logical to one person can be confusing to the next, so I hesitate to use "logic" as the explanation. You really should just read the other thread.   We try to keep the discussions organized here to make it easier to find information, which is why the topics are separate.


----------



## bloop123

jann said:


> Yes...
> I guess you might put it that way.  The trouble is that what seems logical to one person can be confusing to the next, so I hesitate to use "logic" as the explanation. You really should just read the other thread.   We try to keep the discussions organized here to make it easier to find information, which is why the topics are separate.


In retrospect I should have read the other thread in terms of the 1st question however once I read it I couldn't find anything about 'nous' or 'on' in the other cases 

Maybe 'logic' wasn't the right word, however I couldn't think of another way to express what I meant.

Thanks for all your help!!!


----------



## jann

bloop123 said:


> In retrospect I should have read the other thread in terms of the 1st question however once I read it I couldn't find anything about 'nous' or 'on' in the other cases


  You're right that there isn't much... but there is something.

--> the 5th example sentence quoted in post #5
--> the first post contains a link to a similar discussion on the French Only forum (see posts #28, #51, #58, etc.)


----------



## Maître Capello

jann said:


> If you're wondering about using _son/sa/ses _vs. _notre/nos_ with _on_, that's the posessive adjective.  If you're using _on_ as an informal synonym of _nous _-- which is to say that you really do mean "our" -- then you'll stick with _notre/nos_.


See FR: on + notre, nos / son, sa, ses


----------



## jann

Maître Capello said:


> See FR: on + notre, nos / son, sa, ses


Excellent. I felt sure we must have a thread on this, and I looked for it, but somehow missed it.


----------

