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How to Say ‘We had to bring the party forward’ in French

On a dû avancer la fête

on a dew ah-vahn-SAY lah fet

[on a dew ah-vahn-SAY lah fet]

💬 Usage Tip: On is the everyday spoken word for "we". a dû is "had to" and comes from devoir "must".

Phrase Breakdown

On a dû avancer

on a dew ah-vahn-SAY

We had to move forward (bring earlier)

'On a dû' is the passé composé of 'devoir' (had to). Link 'on a' as 'o-na'. 'Avancer' here means to move a date earlier.

Example

On a dû avancer le rendez-vous.

We had to bring the appointment forward.

Words in this phrase

[on]

Used by a speaker to refer to themself and one or more other people considered together.

Example

On y va maintenant.

We are going now.

[a]

have

Possess, own, or hold something.

Example

Vous avez un stylo?

Do you have a pen?

dû

[dew]

had to

Past participle of 'devoir'; with 'avoir' it means 'had to'.

Example

J'ai dû partir tôt.

I had to leave early.

avancer

[ah-vahn-SAY]

to bring forward

To move an event to an earlier date.

Example

Ils veulent avancer le départ.

They want to bring the departure forward.

la fête

lah fet

the party

'Fête' has an open 'è' sound: 'fèt'. The final 'e' is silent.

Example

La fête commence à huit heures.

The party starts at eight.

Words in this phrase

[lah]

the (feminine singular)

Definite article used before a feminine singular noun.

Example

La réservation est déjà confirmée pour samedi soir.

The reservation is already confirmed for Saturday evening.

fête

[fet]

party

A celebration or party; feminine noun.

Example

La fête commence à huit heures.

The party starts at eight o'clock.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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