French Phrase
On a des sodas et de l'eau.
Meaning
The sentence means "We have some sodas and water." It uses the informal "on" to refer to a group, and mixes a plural indefinite article (des) with a partitive article (de l') for the uncountable noun water.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to tell someone what drinks are available, for example at a party, a picnic, or when ordering for a group at a café.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Onadessodasetdel'eau
On (impersonal pronoun)
In everyday French, "on" often replaces "nous" and means "we" or "one" in a casual context.
a (avoir, 3rd person singular)
"a" is the present tense of the verb "avoir" (to have) for "il/elle/on".
des (indefinite plural article)
"des" is the plural form of "un/une" and translates to "some" or "any" for countable nouns.
de l' (partitive article)
Used before a singular, uncountable noun that starts with a vowel or mute h; here it means "some water".
et (conjunction)
Simple coordinating conjunction meaning "and".
🗨In Conversation
Qu'est-ce qu'on boit ?
What are we drinking?
On a des sodas et de l'eau.
We have some sodas and water.
✕Common Mistakes
On a un sodas et de l'eau.
Use the plural indefinite article "des" with a plural noun; "un" is singular.
On a des sodas et du eau.
Because "eau" is feminine and starts with a vowel, the correct partitive is "de l'" not "du".
On a des soda et de l'eau.
When the noun is plural, keep the plural form "sodas"; "soda" without -s would be singular.
↔Alternatives
Nous avons des sodas et de l'eau.
We have some sodas and water.
Il y a des sodas et de l'eau.
There are some sodas and water.
On propose des sodas et de l'eau.
We offer sodas and water.
Cultural Tip
In France, offering both soft drinks (sodas) and still or sparkling water is standard hospitality, especially at gatherings. Note that "soda" is a loanword and is used for any carbonated soft drink, while "eau" can be "eau plate" (still) or "eau gazeuse" (sparkling). The partitive "de l'" signals that water is considered a non‑countable substance.