French Phrase
On a un peu de marge.
Meaning
The sentence means ‘We have a little margin/room left.’ It signals that there is a small amount of extra time, money, or flexibility available, enough to absorb minor changes without causing problems.
When to use
Use it in business meetings, project planning, budgeting discussions, or any everyday situation where you want to indicate that you have a slight leeway or buffer.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Onaunpeudemarge.
On (impersonal pronoun)
‘On’ is a neutral pronoun that can mean ‘we’, ‘people’, or ‘one’ in informal French.
a (avoir, 3rd person singular)
The verb ‘avoir’ conjugated as ‘a’ means ‘has’ or ‘have’ when the subject is ‘on’.
un peu de + noun
‘un peu de’ expresses a small quantity; the noun that follows stays in the singular form.
marge (noun)
‘marge’ can refer to a financial margin, a time buffer, or any kind of leeway.
🗨In Conversation
On a un peu de marge pour finir le projet avant la date limite.
We have a little margin to finish the project before the deadline.
Parfait, on peut alors ajouter quelques améliorations.
Great, we can then add a few improvements.
✕Common Mistakes
On ont un peu de marge.
‘On’ always takes the third‑person singular form of the verb; use ‘a’, not ‘ont’.
On a un peu des marge.
After ‘un peu’, the noun stays singular and the partitive ‘de’ is used, not ‘des’.
On a un peu de margee.
‘Marge’ is a feminine noun; do not add an extra ‘e’.
↔Alternatives
Nous disposons d'une petite marge.
We have a small margin.
Il nous reste un peu de marge.
We still have a little margin left.
On a un léger excédent.
We have a slight surplus.
Cultural Tip
In French business culture, ‘marge’ often refers to profit margin, so be mindful of the context. In everyday conversation it simply means ‘room to breathe’—time, space, or money. The phrase is informal; in a formal report you might prefer ‘nous disposons d’une petite marge de manœuvre.’