French Phrase
Il faut qu'on décide maintenant.
Meaning
The sentence means ‘We need to decide now.’ It combines the impersonal construction ‘Il faut’ with a subjunctive clause, stressing that a decision is urgent and must be taken immediately.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to urge a group—friends, colleagues, or a team—to make a decision without delay. It works in both formal meetings and informal conversations, as long as you want to convey a sense of necessity.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Ilfautqu'ondécidemaintenant.
Il faut (impersonal)
‘Il faut’ is an impersonal expression meaning ‘it is necessary’ and is always followed by a clause introduced by ‘que’.
Que → qu' (elision)
When ‘que’ comes before a vowel or mute ‘h’, it contracts to ‘qu’' (qu').
Subjunctive after ‘Il faut que’
The verb in the subordinate clause must be in the present subjunctive (décide).
On as a neutral pronoun
In spoken French ‘on’ often replaces ‘nous’; it still triggers the third‑person singular verb form.
Maintenant (adverb of time)
‘Maintenant’ means ‘now’ and usually appears at the end of the sentence for emphasis.
🗨In Conversation
Il faut qu'on décide maintenant.
We need to decide now.
D'accord, je propose de choisir le projet X.
Alright, I suggest we pick project X.
✕Common Mistakes
Il faut que on décide maintenant.
Missing the elision; ‘que’ must contract to ‘qu’' before a vowel.
Il faut qu'on décident maintenant.
The verb must agree with ‘on’ (third‑person singular) and stay in the subjunctive present.
Il faut qu'on décidons maintenant.
‘Décidons’ is the indicative present; after ‘Il faut que’ you need the subjunctive ‘décide’.
Il faut qu'on décide tout de suite.
‘Tout de suite’ is acceptable, but it changes the nuance; keep ‘maintenant’ for the exact translation.
↔Alternatives
Il faut que nous décidions maintenant.
We need to decide now.
Il faut prendre une décision maintenant.
A decision must be taken now.
Décidons maintenant.
Let's decide now.
Cultural Tip
In French, the construction ‘Il faut que + subjunctive’ is the go‑to way to express obligation. Native speakers almost always use ‘on’ instead of ‘nous’ in everyday speech, which makes the sentence sound natural and less formal. Placing ‘maintenant’ at the end adds urgency, but you can also say ‘Il faut qu'on décide maintenant’ or ‘Il faut maintenant qu'on décide’—both are correct, though the former is more common.