French Phrase
On peut l'imprimer maintenant.
Meaning
The sentence means ‘We can print it now’ or ‘One can print it now.’ It conveys that the speaker (or a group) has the ability to print a document at this moment.
When to use
Use this phrase in an office, school, or any situation where a document is ready to be printed and you want to let others know that printing can start immediately.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Onpeutl'imprimermaintenant.
On (impersonal pronoun)
‘On’ is used in everyday French to mean ‘we’ or ‘one’, especially in informal contexts.
Peut (present of pouvoir)
‘Peut’ is the third‑person singular present of ‘pouvoir’, meaning ‘can’ or ‘is able to’.
l' (elided direct object pronoun)
The pronoun ‘le/la’ becomes ‘l’ ’ before a vowel or mute ‘h’; it replaces the noun being printed.
Imprimer (infinitive verb)
After ‘peut’, the infinitive ‘imprimer’ expresses the action that can be performed.
Maintenant (adverb of time)
‘Maintenant’ means ‘now’; it usually follows the verb phrase.
🗨In Conversation
Le rapport est finalisé, on peut l'imprimer maintenant ?
The report is finalized, can we print it now?
Oui, je lance l'impression tout de suite.
Yes, I’ll start printing right away.
✕Common Mistakes
Il peut l'imprimer maintenant.
‘Il’ changes the meaning to ‘he can print it now’; use ‘on’ for the inclusive ‘we’ sense.
On peut imprimer le maintenant.
The direct object pronoun must replace the noun; ‘le’ should be elided to ‘l’' before the verb.
On peut l'imprimer tout de suite maintenant.
Avoid stacking two time adverbs; choose either ‘tout de suite’ or ‘maintenant’.
↔Alternatives
Nous pouvons l'imprimer maintenant.
We can print it now.
Il est possible de l'imprimer maintenant.
It is possible to print it now.
On peut l'imprimer tout de suite.
We can print it right away.
Cultural Tip
In French, ‘on’ is the go‑to pronoun for informal ‘we’ and is far more common in spoken language than ‘nous’. However, in very formal written contexts you might prefer ‘nous pouvons…’. Also, French speakers often place adverbs like ‘maintenant’ after the verb phrase, as shown here.