French Phrase
On avance bien.
Meaning
Literally ‘We are moving forward well.’ It’s used to say that a project, a task, or a situation is progressing smoothly and at a good pace.
When to use
Use this sentence when you want to give a quick status update in a meeting, during a casual chat about a hobby, or when checking in on a group effort. It’s informal but perfectly acceptable in most spoken contexts.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Onavancebien
On (pronoun)
In everyday French, *on* is used as an informal equivalent of *nous* (we) or as a generic ‘one’.
Avance (verb)
Third‑person singular present of *avancer* ‘to move forward, to make progress’.
Bien (adverb)
Modifies the verb, meaning ‘well’ or ‘in a good way’; it does not agree in gender or number.
🗨In Conversation
Comment se passe le travail sur le nouveau site web ?
How’s the work on the new website going?
On avance bien, on devrait finir la semaine prochaine.
We’re making good progress; we should finish next week.
✕Common Mistakes
On avance bon.
‘Bon’ is an adjective and cannot modify a verb; use the adverb *bien* instead.
On avancent bien.
With *on* the verb stays in third‑person singular, not plural.
Nous avance bien.
When using *nous*, the verb must agree: *avançons*.
↔Alternatives
Nous avançons bien.
We are moving forward well.
Ça avance bien.
It’s going well.
On progresse bien.
We’re progressing well.
Cultural Tip
In French, *on* replaces *nous* in most spoken contexts, especially among friends, colleagues, or in informal business settings. It gives the sentence a relaxed tone. However, in formal writing you’d normally use *nous*.