French Phrase
On attend d'autres invités.
Meaning
Literally, “We are waiting for other guests.” It conveys that the speaker’s group is expecting additional people to arrive, often used during a gathering or event.
When to use
Use this sentence when you are hosting a party, meeting, or dinner and some guests have not yet arrived, or when you want to let someone know that more people are expected.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Onattendd'autresinvités.
On (impersonal pronoun)
In spoken French, "on" is used like "we" or "one" and takes a third‑person singular verb.
Attendre (verb)
The verb "attendre" means “to wait for”. With a direct object it does not need a preposition.
d' (contraction of de)
Before a vowel or mute h, "de" contracts to "d'"; here it forms the partitive "d'autres" meaning “other”.
autres (adjective)
"autres" is the plural form of "autre" and agrees in number with the noun that follows.
invités (noun, plural)
"invité" can mean a guest or an invited person; the plural "invités" matches "autres".
🗨In Conversation
On attend d'autres invités, ils arrivent dans dix minutes.
We’re waiting for other guests; they’ll be here in ten minutes.
D’accord, je prépare les boissons en attendant.
Okay, I’ll get the drinks ready while we wait.
✕Common Mistakes
On attend de autres invités.
When "autres" follows, "de" must contract to "d'" because of the vowel at the start of "autres".
On attends d'autres invités.
With the pronoun "on", the verb stays in third‑person singular (attend), not second‑person singular (attends).
On attend les autres invités.
Using the definite article changes the meaning to “the other guests” (specific ones) rather than “other guests” (additional, unspecified).
↔Alternatives
Nous attendons d'autres invités.
We are waiting for other guests.
On attend d'autres personnes.
We’re waiting for other people.
D'autres invités sont attendus.
Other guests are expected.
Cultural Tip
In everyday French, "on" is far more common than "nous" for the first‑person plural, especially in informal conversation. However, in formal writing you would usually replace it with "nous". Also, French hosts often say "Les invités arriveront bientôt" (The guests will arrive soon) as a polite way to reassure latecomers.