Avoiding Passive - On

In French, the word on is a pronoun. It usually replaces "we," "people," or "someone." When you want to avoid the passive voice, you use on as the subject. Instead of saying "The door was closed," you say "Someone closed the door." But in French, on makes this sound smoother. It shifts the focus. It takes the "was done" and turns it into "does." This is the "grammar traffic light" for your fluency. It turns a red light of complexity into a green light of simple action. You do not need to worry about complex past participles matching subjects. You just need one little word. It is the secret to talking about actions when the person doing them is not the main point.

1. 1Start with your subject: on.
2. 2Pick your verb. Use any tense you need (present, past, future).
3. 3Conjugate the verb in the third person singular. This is exactly like il (he) or elle (she).
4. 4Add your object. This is the thing being acted upon.
5. 5Example: To change "The cake was eaten" to active, use On a mangé le gâteau.
6. 6Remember: Even if on means "we," the verb stays singular. It is a bit like a group of friends acting as one unit.

Use on when you do not know who performed the action. Imagine you find your car window broken. You do not say "The window was broken." You say On a cassé ma vitre. It sounds more immediate. Use it for general truths too. Think about proverbs or general rules. On ne dit pas ça (One does not say that). Use it in professional settings to describe company actions. "We are hiring" becomes On embauche. It feels modern and collaborative. You will hear it when ordering food too. On commande ? (Shall we order?). It is perfect for job interviews when talking about team achievements. It shows you are a team player. Plus, it saves you from the robotic "I" or the distant passive.

Do not use on if the specific person doing the action is the most important part. If your boss specifically signed a contract, do not say on. Say mon patron. It gives credit where it is due. Avoid it in very high-level legal documents where extreme precision is required. There, the formal passive voice still has a home. Also, do not use it to replace "I" (je) unless you are being very humble or using specific slang. If you are describing a personal hobby, stick to je. Using on there might make you sound like you have a split personality! Keep it for groups, generalities, or unknown actors.

The biggest trap is the verb ending. Many learners want to use plural verbs because on often means "we." Do not do it! On is a singular pronoun. On sont is a crime against grammar. It is always On est. Another mistake is with adjectives. If on clearly refers to a group of women, the adjective might become feminine plural. On est contentes. This is a B1 level trick that even catches natives off guard. Don't sweat it too much, but try to notice it. Lastly, do not confuse on with ont (from the verb avoir). They sound the same, but one is a person and the other is an action. Think of on as a person and ont as a thing they have.

How does on compare to nous? Nous is formal and precise. On is relaxed and friendly. In a text to a friend, always use on. In a speech to a president, use nous. What about reflexive verbs like ça se dit? That is another way to avoid the passive. On dit ça (People say that) and Ça se dit (That is said) are cousins. On focuses on the "people," while the reflexive focuses on the "thing." Both are better than the literal passive C'est dit. Think of on as the active choice and reflexives as the middle ground.