French Phrase
On achète et on vend des devises.
Meaning
The sentence states that one buys and sells currencies. It is a neutral way to describe the activity of foreign‑exchange trading or the routine of exchanging money when traveling.
When to use
Use this phrase when talking about the forex market, a bank’s services, or when explaining how travelers handle money abroad. It works in both formal (news report) and informal (conversation) contexts.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Onachèteetonvenddesdevises
On (indefinite pronoun)
‘On’ is the neutral pronoun used like ‘one’, ‘we’ or ‘people in general’ in French.
Achète (present of acheter)
The verb ‘acheter’ conjugated in the present third‑person singular: ‘achète’ = ‘buys’.
Vend (present of vendre)
The verb ‘vendre’ conjugated in the present third‑person singular: ‘vend’ = ‘sells’.
Des (partitive article)
‘Des’ introduces an indefinite plural noun, here ‘devises’, meaning ‘some currencies’.
Devises (plural noun)
‘Devise’ means ‘currency’ or ‘foreign money’; the plural ‘devises’ refers to multiple currencies.
🗨In Conversation
Dans notre agence, on achète et on vend des devises chaque jour.
In our agency, we buy and sell currencies every day.
C’est intéressant ! Quels sont les taux aujourd’hui ?
That’s interesting! What are the rates today?
✕Common Mistakes
On achète et on vend les devises.
‘Les’ is a definite article; the sentence needs the indefinite ‘des’ because it talks about currencies in general.
On achète et vend des devises.
When using ‘on’ twice, keep the verb forms parallel; dropping the second ‘on’ can sound informal but may be ambiguous.
On achète et on vend des devis.
Do not confuse ‘devises’ (currencies) with ‘devis’ (quotes/estimates).
↔Alternatives
On achète et on vend des monnaies.
One buys and sells money (currencies).
On échange des devises.
One exchanges currencies.
Nous achetons et vendons des devises.
We buy and sell currencies.
Cultural Tip
In French, ‘devise’ specifically refers to foreign currency, while ‘monnaie’ can mean either the national currency or money in general. In a banking or financial news context, ‘devises’ is the preferred term. Also, the neutral pronoun ‘on’ is very common in spoken French to replace ‘nous’ in everyday speech.