French Phrase
On va mettre de la musique.
Meaning
Literally, 'We are going to put some music.' In everyday French it means 'We’re about to play some music.' The phrase conveys a near‑future intention and is very common when starting a party, a dinner, or simply turning on a soundtrack.
When to use
Use this sentence in casual settings when you want to announce that you’re about to start playing music – at home, in a café, before a gathering, or when you’re the one in charge of the soundtrack. It’s informal, so it fits spoken French among friends or family.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Onvamettredelamusique
On (impersonal pronoun)
Used like 'we' or 'one' in informal speech; it can refer to a group that includes the speaker.
Near future with aller (va)
The construction 'aller + infinitive' expresses an action that will happen soon, similar to 'going to' in English.
Mettre (to put/play)
In the context of music, 'mettre' means 'to play' (e.g., put a record on).
Partitive article (de la)
Indicates an unspecified amount of something uncountable; here it means 'some music'.
Musique (noun)
A feminine singular noun meaning 'music'.
🗨In Conversation
On va mettre de la musique ?
Shall we play some music?
Oui, j’ai une playlist parfaite pour ce soir.
Yes, I have the perfect playlist for tonight.
✕Common Mistakes
On va mettre la musique.
Using the definite article *la* would imply a specific piece of music, which changes the nuance.
Il va mettre de la musique.
The pronoun *il* changes the subject; the original phrase is meant to include the speaker.
On mettre de la musique.
Dropping *va* turns the sentence into a simple present, which is less natural for a future intention.
↔Alternatives
Nous allons mettre de la musique.
We are going to play some music.
Je mets de la musique.
I’m putting on some music.
On lance la musique.
Let’s start the music.
Cultural Tip
In French, the verb *mettre* is the go‑to verb for playing recorded music (radio, CD, playlist). The partitive article *de la* signals that you’re not referring to a specific piece but to music in general. Using *on* instead of *nous* is the norm in spoken French and gives the sentence a relaxed, friendly tone. In formal writing you’d switch to *nous allons*.