French Phrase
On doit arriver tôt.
Meaning
The sentence states that it is necessary for the speaker (or people in general) to get to a place early. It can refer to a meeting, a train, a class, or any situation where punctuality matters.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to stress the importance of being early, such as reminding a friend about a reservation, explaining a schedule, or giving a polite warning about a deadline.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Ondoitarrivertôt
On
A neutral pronoun that can mean 'we', 'people', or 'one' in everyday French; often replaces 'nous' in spoken language.
doit
Third‑person singular of the verb devoir, meaning 'must' or 'has to'. It agrees with the subject 'on'.
arriver
An infinitive verb meaning 'to arrive'. After devoir, the infinitive follows directly without 'de'.
tôt
An adverb meaning 'early'. It modifies the verb phrase and never changes form.
🗨In Conversation
On doit arriver tôt pour attraper le premier train.
We have to arrive early to catch the first train.
D'accord, je partirai demain soir.
Alright, I'll leave tomorrow evening.
✕Common Mistakes
Nous doit arriver tôt.
Do not use 'doit' with a plural subject like 'nous' – the correct form is 'devons'.
On doit arriver tot.
The accent is required; without it the word becomes 'tot', which is not a French word.
On doit de arriver tôt.
After 'devoir' you do NOT add 'de' before the infinitive.
↔Alternatives
Il faut arriver tôt.
One must arrive early.
Nous devons arriver tôt.
We have to arrive early.
Il est nécessaire d'arriver tôt.
It is necessary to arrive early.
Cultural Tip
In France, punctuality is valued, especially for business meetings and public transport. Using 'on' instead of 'nous' sounds more natural in casual conversation, but in formal writing you might prefer 'nous devons'. Also, remember that the accent circonflexe on 'tôt' is essential; dropping it changes the spelling and can affect pronunciation.