French Phrase
On parle de notre journée en dînant.
Meaning
The sentence means “We talk about our day while having dinner.” It conveys a relaxed, everyday situation where people share the events of the day over the evening meal.
When to use
Use this phrase after a full day of activities when you want to recount what happened with family or friends during dinner. It’s perfect for informal gatherings, family meals, or a friendly chat at a restaurant.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Onparledenotrejournéeendînant
On as informal 'we'
In spoken French, "on" often replaces "nous" and takes third‑person singular verb forms.
Présent de l’indicatif
"parle" is the third‑person singular present of parler, agreeing with the subject "on".
Preposition de + parler
When you talk about something, French uses the preposition "de" after parler.
Possessive adjective notre
"notre" agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies (journée, feminine singular).
En + present participle
The construction "en dînant" means "while/during dinner"; "en" + present participle expresses simultaneity.
Present participle dînant
Formed from the verb dîner by dropping the -er ending and adding -ant.
🗨In Conversation
On parle de notre journée en dînant, d’accord ?
Shall we talk about our day while we have dinner?
Oui, c’est toujours agréable de partager nos petites histoires autour de la table.
Yes, it’s always nice to share our little stories around the table.
✕Common Mistakes
Nous parle de notre journée en dînant.
Learners often replace "on" with "nous"; while correct, "on" sounds more natural in everyday speech.
On parle de notre journée en mangeant.
"en mangeant" means "while eating" in general; using "en dînant" specifies the dinner meal.
On parle notre journee en dînant.
The noun "journée" needs an accent on the first e and the article "de" must be present.
↔Alternatives
Nous discutons de notre journée pendant le dîner.
We discuss our day during dinner.
On raconte notre journée en mangeant.
We tell each other about our day while eating.
Pendant le dîner, on parle de ce qui s’est passé aujourd’hui.
During dinner, we talk about what happened today.
Cultural Tip
In France, dinner (le dîner) is traditionally a social event that starts later than in many other countries, often around 8 p.m. It’s a time for families to sit down together, discuss the day’s events, and enjoy a multi‑course meal. Using "en dînant" signals that the conversation happens naturally as part of this shared ritual, not as a formal interview.