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How to Say ‘We're supposed to be’ in French

On est censés être

on ehst sahn-SAY eh-tra

[on ehst sahn-SAY eh-tra]

💬 Usage Tip: censés takes a plural -s because on here really means "we". The -s is silent.

Phrase Breakdown

On est

on ehst

We are

Liaison: say 'o-nè'. 'On' commonly means 'we' in spoken French.

Example

On est en retard.

We're late.

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.

est

[ehst]

are

Indicates a state of being or conditions.

Example

Nous sommes à l'école.

We are at school.

censés être

sahn-SAY eh-tra

supposed to be

'Censés' sounds like 'san-sé', the same as 'sensé'. It is plural to agree with 'on' meaning 'we'.

Example

Ils sont censés être là.

They're supposed to be here.

Words in this phrase

censés

[sahn-SAY]

supposed to

Adjective 'censé' meaning expected or obliged to; agrees with the subject.

Example

Tu es censé arriver à midi.

You're supposed to arrive at noon.

être

[eh-tra]

Exist or occur; denotes possibility or existence of a state.

Example

Peut-être être là.

Might be there.

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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