French Phrase
On a joué dehors.
Meaning
The sentence means ‘We played outside.’ It uses the passé composé to describe a completed activity that happened in the recent past. The pronoun ‘on’ here stands for ‘we’, which is common in spoken French because it sounds more natural than ‘nous’. The adverb ‘dehors’ simply tells where the playing took place.
When to use
Use this phrase when recounting a recent outdoor activity with friends, family, or classmates. It works well in casual conversation, after school, during a weekend recap, or when describing a memory in a language‑learning journal.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Onajouédehors.
On (impersonal pronoun)
‘On’ is a versatile French pronoun that can mean ‘we’, ‘one’, or ‘people in general’, and it takes third‑person singular verb forms.
A (auxiliary verb)
In the passé composé, ‘avoir’ is the auxiliary for most verbs; it is conjugated here as ‘a’ (third‑person singular).
Joué (past participle)
The main verb ‘jouer’ (to play) must appear in its past participle form ‘joué’ after the auxiliary ‘avoir’.
Dehors (adverb of place)
‘Dehors’ means ‘outside’ and is used as an adverb; it does not require a preposition.
🗨In Conversation
On a joué dehors hier après‑midi.
We played outside yesterday afternoon.
Super ! Vous avez bien profité du beau temps.
Great! You really made the most of the nice weather.
✕Common Mistakes
On a jouer dehors.
After the auxiliary ‘avoir’, the main verb must be in its past participle form, not the infinitive.
On a joué à dehors.
‘Dehors’ is an adverb and does not need a preposition; ‘à dehors’ is ungrammatical.
Nous avons joué dehors.
While grammatically correct, native speakers rarely say ‘Nous avons joué dehors’ in casual speech; ‘On’ sounds more natural.
↔Alternatives
Nous avons joué à l'extérieur.
We played outside.
On s'est amusés dehors.
We had fun outside.
On a fait du sport dehors.
We did sports outside.
Cultural Tip
In everyday French, ‘on’ is preferred over ‘nous’ for ‘we’ because it sounds less formal and flows more naturally in conversation. ‘Dehors’ is the go‑to adverb for ‘outside’, but you’ll also hear ‘à l'extérieur’ in slightly more formal contexts. When talking about children’s play, French speakers often add the activity (e.g., ‘on a joué au foot dehors’).