French Phrase
On est le 20 mars.
Meaning
This phrase is the most common way to state the current date in spoken French. While 'on' usually means 'one' or 'we', in this context it acts as an impersonal subject similar to 'it' in English. It is less formal than 'Nous sommes le 20 mars' but much more natural for daily conversation.
When to use
Use this phrase when answering a question about today's date or confirming the date in a casual setting like school, work, or with friends. It is the standard response to the question 'Quelle est la date ?'
✦Grammar Breakdown
Onestle20mars
On
An informal pronoun used here to represent a general 'we' or 'it' when referring to the current time.
Le
The masculine definite article 'le' is required before the number in French dates.
Mars
French months are common nouns and are written in lowercase.
🗨In Conversation
Quelle est la date aujourd'hui ?
What is the date today?
On est le 20 mars.
It is March 20th.
✕Common Mistakes
On est 20 mars.
In French, you must always include the definite article 'le' before the number when stating the date.
On est le 20 de mars.
Unlike English '20th of March', French does not use 'de' between the number and the month.
↔Alternatives
Nous sommes le 20 mars.
We are the 20th of March (Formal).
C'est le 20 mars.
It's March 20th.
Aujourd'hui, c'est le 20 mars.
Today is March 20th.
Cultural Tip
In France and most Francophone countries, dates follow the Day-Month-Year format. Additionally, French months are never capitalized unless they appear at the very beginning of a sentence. Note that for the first day of the month, you use 'le 1er' (le premier), but for all other days, you use standard cardinal numbers.