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Introduction to the homophones "on" and "ont"

Homophones are words that sound exactly the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. In this lesson, we will look at two very common French homophones: "on" (a subject pronoun) and "ont" (the verb avoir "to have", in the present tense).

These two words are pronounced identically, but their grammatical roles are completely different. Confusing "on" and "ont" is a very common spelling mistake, especially when writing!

1. "on": The subject pronoun

"on" is a subject pronoun of the third person singular. It refers to one or several people who are not specified ("people", "someone", "one"). In everyday conversation, it very often replaces "nous" ("we").

Usage:

• It is always used before a verb, never before a noun
• The verb that follows is always in the third person singular: on mange, on a, on est, on va
• It often replaces "nous" when speaking: "On va au cinéma" = "Nous allons au cinéma" (We are going to the cinema)
• Before a vowel, you hear a linking "n": on a, on est, on aime

Examples:

• On mange à midi. (We eat at noon.)
• Ici, on parle français. (Here, people speak French.)
• En France, on dîne souvent tard. (In France, people often have dinner late.)
• On ne sait jamais ce qui peut arriver. (You never know what can happen.)
• On va au cinéma ce soir. (We are going to the cinema tonight.)
• On a rendez-vous à huit heures. (We have an appointment at eight o'clock.)

The trick to avoid mistakes:

If you can replace the word with "il" (he) or "elle" (she), write "on".

• On mange à midi. → Il mange à midi. ✔ → write "on"
• On va au cinéma. → Elle va au cinéma. ✔ → write "on"

2. "ont": The verb avoir

"ont" is the verb avoir ("to have") in the present indicative, third person plural. It is also the auxiliary verb of the passé composé: "ils ont mangé" (they ate), "elles ont fini" (they finished).

Usage:

• Used with "ils", "elles" or a plural noun: les enfants ont, mes amis ont
• Can be followed by a noun (ils ont un chat), a past participle (ils ont fini) or an expression (ils ont faim, ils ont peur, ils ont raison)
• Never used with "on": we write "on a", never "on ont"
• Right after "ils" or "elles", you hear a linking "z": ils-z-ont, elles-z-ont
• After a noun ending in -s or -x (les enfants, les voix), there is no liaison: les enfants / ont faim

Examples:

• Les enfants ont faim. (The children are hungry.)
• Ils ont un grand jardin. (They have a big garden.)
• Elles ont fini leurs devoirs. (They have finished their homework.)
• Mes parents ont une vieille voiture. (My parents have an old car.)
• Les élèves ont bien travaillé. (The pupils worked well.)
• Mes amis ont peur de l'orage. (My friends are afraid of the storm.)

The trick to avoid mistakes:

If you can replace the word with "avaient" (had), or change the person ("nous avons", "vous avez"), write "ont".

• Les enfants ont faim. → Les enfants avaient faim. ✔ → write "ont"
• Elles ont fini. → Nous avons fini. ✔ → write "ont"

3. Comparison table: "on" and "ont"

4. Comparative examples in the same sentences

Here are sentences containing both homophones, to help you see the difference:

• Ici, on dit que les voisins ont de la chance. (Here, people say the neighbours are lucky.)
  "on" → il dit ✔ / "ont" → ils avaient ✔
• On pense que les élèves ont bien compris. (People think the pupils have understood well.)
  "on" → il pense ✔ / "ont" → les élèves avaient ✔
• Mes parents ont acheté une maison et on va la visiter. (My parents have bought a house and we are going to visit it.)
  "ont" → mes parents avaient ✔ / "on" → il va ✔
• On sait que les chats ont de bons réflexes. (People know that cats have good reflexes.)
  "on" → il sait ✔ / "ont" → les chats avaient ✔
• Les enfants ont fini leur dessert : on peut partir. (The children have finished their dessert: we can leave.)
  "ont" → les enfants avaient ✔ / "on" → il peut ✔

5. Special cases and common pitfalls

Pitfall 1: "on a" or "ils ont"?

With "on", the verb avoir is always written "a" (third person singular). "ont" is only used with a plural subject:

• On a rendez-vous à huit heures. ✔ (We have an appointment at eight; not « on ont »)
• Ils ont rendez-vous à huit heures. ✔ (They have an appointment at eight)
• On n'a pas faim. / Ils n'ont pas faim. ✔ (We are not hungry. / They are not hungry)

Pitfall 2: "ont" or "sont"?

These two plural forms look alike, but they come from two different verbs:

• Ils ont peur. ✔ (They are afraid; verb avoir: you can say « ils avaient peur »)
• Ils sont contents. ✔ (They are happy; verb être: you can say « ils étaient contents »)

Do not confuse the passé composé with "avoir" and with "être" either: « ils ont mangé » (they ate) but « ils sont partis » (they left).

Pitfall 3: listen to the liaison

When speaking, "on" and "ont" sound the same. But the liaison can help you:

• on a: before a vowel, you hear an "n" (on-n-a) ✔
• ils ont: after "ils" or "elles", you hear a "z" (ils-z-ont) ✔
• les enfants ont: after a noun ending in -s or -x, no liaison ✔

In both cases, to choose between "on" and "ont" in writing, use the tricks from this lesson!