Gender of "on"

Joakim R.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Gender of "on"

In the Kaysersberg listening exercise, part of the transcript reads: FEMME: C'est comme quand on était petit Given that it is a woman speaking, shouldn't it be "petite" or does 'on' somehow default to masculine even when a woman uses it about herself?

This question relates to:French lesson "On can mean either we/one/people (French Subject Pronouns)"

Asked 8 years ago

CécileKwiziq Native French TeacherCorrect answer

Hi Joakim,

'On' cannot replace just one person. If this person was talking she would say:

Quand j'étais petite...

So she is including others in 'Quand on était petits...'

Like06 years ago

Michael R.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

I think the c'est makes it masculine

Like08 years ago

Joakim R. asked:

Gender of "on"

In the Kaysersberg listening exercise, part of the transcript reads: FEMME: C'est comme quand on était petit Given that it is a woman speaking, shouldn't it be "petite" or does 'on' somehow default to masculine even when a woman uses it about herself?

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