On and the passive: choosing sentence focus
CEFR B1
What you will learn
- Interpret on as people in general, an unidentified agent or colloquial nous while keeping the verb singular.
- Build the passive in several tenses and decide whether the text focuses on the agent, action or affected entity.
The idea
“On” and the passive can describe the same event but organise information differently: one keeps an action with an implicit human agent, while the other turns the affected entity into the subject.
“On” is always a third-person singular grammatical subject: “on parle”, “on va”, “on a fermé”. It can mean people in general, an unidentified person or colloquial “nous”. Context, not the verb form, identifies the referent.
When “on” stands for a known group, an adjective or participle can show its number and gender: two women can say “on est arrivées”. The auxiliary remains singular —“on est”— even though the participle is plural.
The passive uses “être” in the required tense plus a participle agreeing with the subject: “la route est fermée”, “la passerelle a été réparée”. When relevant, the agent is normally introduced by “par”.
Choice depends on focus. “On a fermé la route” foregrounds the action and leaves the responsible people implicit. “La route a été fermée” presents the road and its state or an administrative fact. French also has pronominal constructions such as “ça se fait”, so do not translate every impersonal-looking form automatically with “on”.
Working paradigm
| Focus | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| acción/personas implícitas | on + verbe actif singulier | on a réparé la passerelle |
| entidad afectada | sujet + être + participe | la passerelle a été réparée |
| agente relevante | passif + par + agent | la passerelle a été réparée par des bénévoles |
| grupo conocido | on + verbe singulier + accord du prédicat | Lina et moi, on est arrivées |
The verb form with on does not change; visible agreement may appear in a predicate adjective or participle.
How it sounds
- La passerelle a été réparée par des bénévoles.The new focus is “la passerelle”. The tense is the perfect: “a été”. “Passerelle” is feminine singular: “réparée”. The agent is informative and stays with “par”.
Your turn
Two or three, to check that the bit above landed.
Ici, on ___ français et italien.
parle — On is a third-person singular subject even when it includes many people.
Des techniciennes ont réparé les machines. → Les machines ___ par des techniciennes.
ont été réparées — Passive perfect: “ont été” plus feminine plural participle “réparées”.
Lina and the speaker are two women. Complete: Lina et moi, on est ___ à midi.
arrivées — “On est” remains singular; the participle reflects the feminine plural referent.
When it doesn't hold
What breaks the rule, said out loud. Hiding it is what makes you feel cheated in the exam.
- Action with implicit agentOn a fermé la route.
- Result or announcementLa route a été fermée.
- Habitual property with seCe tissu se lave facilement.
What your own language pushes you to say
Wrong On sont arrivées à midi.
Right On est arrivées à midi.
When on represents several women, the participle may be feminine plural, but the verb remains third-person singular. A plural referent does not make the grammatical subject plural.
Curriculum alignment and sources
- CEFR B1 · understand the main points of clear messages on familiar matters, handle common situations and produce simple connected text. · Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Companion Volume
- El MCER sirve de referencia, pero la norma estatal no asigna B1.1/B1.2 a cursos. La secuencia del catálogo es editorial. · Real Decreto 217/2022, currículo básico de ESO
- La fuente reutilizada fija A1 al final del primer ciclo para esta materia y no acredita B1 en un curso italiano concreto. · Decreto 9 dicembre 2025, n. 221 · nuove Indicazioni nazionali
Once it makes sense
Practise this: on, the French way to be impersonalFrench subjunctive: forms, triggers and contrast with the indicativePast participle agreement: auxiliary, object and positionReported speech: person, tense and viewpointSi clauses: real, imagined and past conditionsSpoken and written French: adapting register