French Phrase
On finira le projet quoi qu'il arrive.
Meaning
The sentence means ‘We’ll finish the project, no matter what.’ It conveys determination and a promise to complete a task despite any obstacles that may arise.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to reassure a team, a client, or a friend that a deadline will be met regardless of difficulties. It’s common in work meetings, project planning, or any situation where perseverance is emphasized.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Onfiniraleprojetquoiqu'ilarrive
On (impersonal pronoun)
‘On’ is often used in spoken French to mean ‘we’ or ‘people in general’, and it takes third‑person singular verb forms.
Future simple – finir
‘Finira’ is the future simple of ‘finir’; it expresses a definite action that will happen in the future.
Concessive clause – quoi qu’il arrive
‘Quoi qu’il arrive’ is a fixed concessive expression meaning ‘no matter what happens’; it requires the subjunctive after ‘qu’ (arrive).
Article agreement
‘Le projet’ uses the masculine singular article ‘le’ because ‘projet’ is masculine.
🗨In Conversation
On finira le projet quoi qu'il arrive.
We'll finish the project, no matter what.
Parfait, alors concentrons‑nous sur les tâches prioritaires.
Great, then let's focus on the priority tasks.
✕Common Mistakes
On finira le projet qu'il arrive.
The concessive expression requires ‘quoi’ before ‘qu’il’; dropping ‘quoi’ changes the meaning.
On finira le projet quoi il arrive.
Missing the elided ‘qu’ after ‘quoi’; the correct form is ‘qu’il’.
On finirons le projet quoi qu'il arrive.
‘Finirons’ is first‑person plural; with ‘on’ you must use third‑person singular ‘finira’.
↔Alternatives
Nous terminerons le projet quoi qu'il arrive.
We will finish the project, whatever happens.
On achèvera le projet quoi qu'il arrive.
We'll see the project through, no matter what.
Quel que soit le problème, on finira le projet.
Whatever the problem, we'll finish the project.
Cultural Tip
‘Quoi qu’il arrive’ is a set phrase in French and sounds more natural than a literal translation like ‘what ever it happens’. It’s used in both formal and informal contexts, but in very casual speech you might hear ‘peu importe ce qui arrive’. Also, French speakers often prefer ‘nous’ in written or formal contexts, while ‘on’ dominates spoken language.