👍▶️

How to Say ‘Right, let's begin.’ in French

Alors, on commence.

ah-lohr on koh-MAHNS

[ah-lohr on koh-MAHNS]

💬 Usage Tip: On literally means "one", but in everyday speech it's the usual way to say "we". On commence means "we're starting" or "let's start".

Phrase Breakdown

Alors,

ah-lohr

So,

Filler word used to start something. Say it 'a-LOR', with a light French 'r'.

Example

Alors, ça va ?

So, how are you?

Words in this phrase

Alors

[ah-lohr]

Conjunction used to show consequence or result.

Example

Alors, qu'est-ce qu'on fait?

So, what do we do?

on commence.

on koh-MAHNS

let's begin.

'On' means 'we' in everyday speech. It is nasal, 'ohn'. 'Commence' is 'ko-MANSS'.

Example

On commence à neuf heures.

We start at nine o'clock.

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.

commence

[koh-MAHNS]

start / begin

Form of 'commencer'; with 'on' it means 'we start'.

Example

On commence par respirer.

We start by breathing.

Guides for French learners

The Most Common French Verbs: the 20 You'll Actually UseThe 20 most common French verbs, with the present-tense forms you need, real example sentences with native audio, and two shortcuts for past and future.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.

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