French Phrase
On a besoin d'un médecin maintenant.
Meaning
This sentence means 'We need a doctor now.' It conveys an urgent request for medical assistance. The use of 'on' makes it sound informal and collective, while 'maintenant' stresses the immediacy.
When to use
Use this phrase when you or a group are in a sudden health emergency and need to call for a doctor, whether at home, in a public place, or while traveling in a French‑speaking country.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Onabesoind'unmédecinmaintenant
On (impersonal 'we')
In everyday French, 'on' is used like the English 'we' or a neutral 'one', especially in informal speech.
Avoir besoin de + noun
The construction 'avoir besoin de' means 'to need'. It is followed by a noun or infinitive, and the preposition 'de' contracts before a vowel.
Elision d' + vowel
When 'de' meets a word beginning with a vowel or mute h, it becomes 'd'' (e.g., d'un, d'eau).
Adverb placement
Time adverbs like 'maintenant' normally go after the verb phrase, but before a final clause they can also appear at the end.
🗨In Conversation
On a besoin d'un médecin maintenant.
We need a doctor now.
Je vais appeler le 15 tout de suite.
I’ll call emergency services right away.
✕Common Mistakes
On a besoin un médecin maintenant.
The preposition 'de' is required after 'besoin'.
On a besoin d' le médecin maintenant.
When 'de' contracts with a definite article, it becomes 'du', not 'd' le'.
On maintenant a besoin d'un médecin.
Adverbs like 'maintenant' normally follow the verb phrase, not precede it.
↔Alternatives
Nous avons besoin d'un médecin maintenant.
We need a doctor now.
Il faut un médecin tout de suite.
We need a doctor right away.
J'ai besoin d'un médecin immédiatement.
I need a doctor immediately.
Cultural Tip
In French, 'on' replaces 'nous' in most spoken contexts, especially among friends or in urgent situations. For a more formal tone, switch to 'nous' or use the impersonal construction 'Il faut'. Also, dialing emergency services in France is done by calling 15 (SAMU) or 112 for general emergencies.