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Si on allait au cinéma ?— an imperfect aftersi, with no second clause, is a suggestion in French.
Phrases
Suggesting doing something
| French | Pronunciation | English | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
Si on allait au cinéma ? | /si ɔ̃.n‿a.lɛ o si.ne.ma/ | shall we go to the cinema? | informal, very common |
Et si on sortait ? | /e si ɔ̃ sɔʁ.tɛ/ | how about going out? | the same |
On pourrait aller au restaurant. | /ɔ̃ pu.ʁɛ a.le o ʁɛs.to.ʁɑ̃/ | we could go to a restaurant | gentle |
Ça te dit d'aller au ciné ? | /sa tə di da.le o si.ne/ | fancy the cinema? | informal |
Ça vous dirait de… ? | /sa vu di.ʁɛ də/ | would you like to…? | polite |
Tu veux venir ? | /ty vø və.niʁ/ | do you want to come? | direct |
Vous voulez vous joindre à nous ? | /vu vu.le vu ʒwɛ̃dʁ a nu/ | would you like to join us? | formal |
Qu'est-ce que tu dirais de… ? | /kɛs.kə ty di.ʁɛ də/ | what would you say to…? | open |
Je te propose de… | /ʒə tə pʁo.pɔz də/ | I suggest we… | more formal |
On y va ? | /ɔ̃.n‿i va/ | shall we go? | informal |
Formal invitations
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
Je vous invite à… | /ʒə vuz ɛ̃.vit a/ | I'm inviting you to |
Nous serions heureux de vous accueillir. | /nu sə.ʁjɔ̃z ø.ʁø də vuz a.kœ.jiʁ/ | we'd be delighted to welcome you |
Vous êtes cordialement invité(e). | /vuz ɛt kɔʁ.djal.mɑ̃ ɛ̃.vi.te/ | you are cordially invited |
J'aimerais vous inviter à dîner. | /ʒɛm.ʁɛ vuz ɛ̃.vi.te a di.ne/ | I'd like to invite you to dinner |
Seriez-vous libre samedi ? | /sə.ʁje.vu libʁ sam.di/ | would you be free on Saturday? |
Offering help
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
Je peux vous aider ? | /ʒə pø vuz ɛ.de/ | can I help you? |
Vous avez besoin d'aide ? | /vuz a.ve bə.zwɛ̃ dɛd/ | do you need help? |
Je vous donne un coup de main ? | /ʒə vu dɔn œ̃ ku də mɛ̃/ | shall I give you a hand? |
Laissez-moi faire. | /lɛ.se.mwa fɛʁ/ | let me do it |
Ne vous dérangez pas. | /nə vu de.ʁɑ̃.ʒe pa/ | please don't go to any trouble |
Fixing a time and place
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
On se retrouve où ? | /ɔ̃ sə ʁə.tʁuv u/ | where shall we meet? |
On dit huit heures ? | /ɔ̃ di ɥit œʁ/ | shall we say eight? |
Ça te va, samedi ? | /sa tə va sam.di/ | does Saturday work for you? |
Quand est-ce que tu es libre ? | /kɑ̃t ɛs kə ty ɛ libʁ/ | when are you free? |
On se voit devant le cinéma. | /ɔ̃ sə vwa də.vɑ̃ lə si.ne.ma/ | we'll meet outside the cinema |
Je passe te prendre. | /ʒə pas tə pʁɑ̃dʁ/ | I'll come and pick you up |
Four suggestion structures
| Structure | Tense | Example |
|---|---|---|
Si on /si ɔ̃/ + imperfect | imperfect | Si on allait au cinéma ? /si ɔ̃.n‿a.lɛ o si.ne.ma/ |
On pourrait /ɔ̃ pu.ʁɛ/ + infinitive | conditional | On pourrait sortir. /ɔ̃ pu.ʁɛ sɔʁ.tiʁ/ |
Ça te dit de /sa tə di də/ + infinitive | present | Ça te dit de venir ? /sa tə di də və.niʁ/ |
Tu veux /ty vø/ + infinitive | present | Tu veux venir ? /ty vø və.niʁ/ |
The first one is the one English has no model for. A conditional sentence with no result clause, used as an invitation. English fills that role with "shall we" or "how about" — and since French has neither ("shall" does not exist and
comment à propos deis not French),Si on…is what native speakers actually use.
On pourraitis "we could", andÇa te dit deis "do you fancy". Those three cover almost every casual suggestion you will ever need to make.
Levels of politeness
| Level | Example | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| informal | On sort ce soir ? | /ɔ̃ sɔʁ sə swaʁ/ |
| gentle | Ça te dit de sortir ce soir ? | /sa tə di də sɔʁ.tiʁ sə swaʁ/ |
| polite | Est-ce que ça vous dirait de sortir ce soir ? | /ɛs kə sa vu di.ʁɛ də sɔʁ.tiʁ sə swaʁ/ |
| formal | Seriez-vous libre pour dîner ce soir ? | /sə.ʁje.vu libʁ puʁ di.ne sə swaʁ/ |
Traps
| Trap | Explanation |
|---|---|
Si on + imperfect | Not the present. Si on allait, not Si on va. |
Ça te dit de + infinitive | That de is compulsory. |
inviter means you are paying | Je t'invite in French means "it's on me". If that is not what you mean, say On y va ensemble ? |
On y va ? has two meanings | "shall we go?" or "shall we get moving?". Context decides. |
libre for availability | Tu es libre samedi ? — not disponible, which is more formal. |
proposer takes de + infinitive | Je te propose de venir. |
| A vague answer means no | In French Je vais voir usually means no. See accepter-refuser. |
The third row can cost you money. English "I'll invite you to dinner" means you are asking them to come; French
Je t'invitemeans you are paying. To propose going somewhere together without offering to pay, sayOn y va ensemble ?orÇa te dit qu'on aille au restaurant ?
Si on… — a structure with no translation
an unfinished conditional that became a suggestion
Si on allait au cinéma ? literally means "if we went to the cinema…?" — and the second clause is never said.
It is that missing second clause that makes it a suggestion: "…what would that be like?", "…wouldn't that be good?"
And because it is always left out, the listener supplies it.
How to build it:
Si+on/nous+ imperfect +?
| Example | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
Si on sortait ? | shall we go out? | /si ɔ̃ sɔʁ.tɛ/ |
Si on mangeait quelque chose ? | shall we get something to eat? | /si ɔ̃ mɑ̃.ʒɛ kɛl.kə ʃɔz/ |
Si on prenait un café ? | shall we have a coffee? | /si ɔ̃ pʁə.nɛ.t‿œ̃ ka.fe/ |
Et si on partait maintenant ? | how about we leave now? | /e si ɔ̃ paʁ.tɛ mɛ̃t.nɑ̃/ |
Et si is the more common opening and slightly softer.
The same structure works with other subjects:
Si tu venais avec nous ?— how about you come with us?
The nearest English relative is "what if…" — "what if we went to the cinema?" — and note that English also uses a past tense there for a present suggestion. So the tense will feel right even though the structure does not. Et si on allait is "what if we went", with the "what" left out.
One important point: after a conditional si you never use a conditional. ❌ Si on irait ✅ Si on allait. See si-hypothese. (The si meaning "whether" is different — Je ne sais pas s'il viendrait. — see question-indirecte.)