French Phrase
On passe à…
Meaning
Literally ‘We/One moves on to…’. It is a transition phrase used to signal that the speaker is changing the focus of the conversation, a presentation, or an activity to the next item on the agenda.
When to use
Use it in meetings, classrooms, TV shows, or casual chats when you want to shift from one subject to the next. It works both in formal (e.g., a business meeting) and informal (e.g., a group of friends playing a game) contexts.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Onpasseà...
On (impersonal pronoun)
‘On’ is the neutral pronoun used like ‘we’ or ‘one’; in spoken French it often replaces ‘nous’ in informal contexts.
passe (present of passer)
‘Passer’ means ‘to pass, to move on’. In the third‑person singular present it is ‘passe’, pronounced /pas/.
à (preposition)
‘À’ introduces the next item, person, or subject that the conversation is moving toward.
Ellipsis (…)
The three dots indicate that the speaker will add the next topic, e.g., ‘la prochaine question’, ‘le prochain point’, etc.
🗨In Conversation
On passe à la prochaine question ?
Shall we move on to the next question?
Oui, allons-y.
Yes, let's go.
✕Common Mistakes
On passe à le prochain point.
After ‘à’, the masculine singular article ‘le’ contracts to ‘au’; saying ‘à le’ is incorrect.
On passe à le sujet suivant.
Use ‘au’ instead of ‘à le’ and keep the noun after the preposition.
On passe à faire la présentation.
When the next element is an infinitive, use ‘à’ + infinitive only if the verb naturally takes that preposition (e.g., ‘passer à faire’ is rare). Prefer ‘Passons à faire…’ or ‘Nous allons faire…’.
↔Alternatives
Passons à…
Let's move on to…
Nous passons à…
We are moving on to…
Allons à…
Let's go to…
Continuons avec…
Let's continue with…
Cultural Tip
In French, ‘on’ is extremely common in spoken language and can replace ‘nous’ even in professional settings, making the tone sound more relaxed. However, in very formal written minutes or official documents you might prefer ‘nous passons à…’. Also, remember to contract the article after ‘à’ (e.g., ‘à le’ → ‘au’) when the next word is masculine singular.