📍❓

How to Say ‘Where can we’ in French

Où est-ce qu'on peut

OO eh suh kee ohn puh

[OO eh suh kee ohn puh]

💬 Usage Tip: On literally means "one", but in speech it usually means "we" or people in general. Est-ce qu' turns what follows into a question, so you can put it after any question word: quand est-ce qu'on part ? "when are we leaving?"

Phrase Breakdown

Où est-ce

OO eh suh

Where is it

The start of the question form 'où est-ce que'. Say 'oo ess'.

Example

Où est-ce que tu habites ?

Where do you live?

Words in this phrase

Où

[OO]

where

Question word asking about place or location.

Example

Où habites-tu ?

Where do you live?

est

[eh]

Third person singular present of be.

Example

C'est important.

It is important.

-ce

[suh]

question marker

In est-ce que, this element helps form a standard yes/no question in French.

Example

Est-ce qu'il y a un parking gratuit ?

Is there free parking?

qu'on peut

kee ohn puh

that one can

'Que' + 'on' contracts to 'qu'on'. Say 'kon puh'.

Example

C'est ce qu'on peut faire.

That's what we can do.

Words in this phrase

qu'

[kee]

that

Conjunction introducing subordinate clauses.

Example

Je pense qu'il est tard.

I think that it's late.

[ohn]

we / one

Common spoken subject meaning we in everyday French.

Example

On va gagner si on continue comme ça.

We're going to win if we keep going like this.

peut

[puh]

can

Form of 'pouvoir'; it means someone is able to do something.

Example

Il peut venir vers neuf heures.

He can come around nine 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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