on l'appelait

they called him/her/it; people used to call him/her/it

→ on

phrase Rare #30,023

they called him/her/it; people used to call him/her/it The imperfect tense often describes a name or nickname used in the past. The pronoun l’ can refer to a person or thing, depending on context.

FR: Dans le quartier, on l'appelait Petit Louis.

EN: In the neighborhood, they called him Little Louis.

On l'appelait Smerdikoff.

He was called Smerdikoff.

— Le Conformiste (1971)

On l'appelait "La reine noire."

She was called “The Black Queen.”

— Suspiria (1977)

Elle était si somptueuse qu'on l'appelait le Pavillon d'Or.

It was so magnificent that it was called the Golden Pavilion.

— The Grandmaster (2013)

C'est comme ça qu'on l'appelait.

That's what we called him.

On l'appelait "Lady E".

She was called “Lady E.”

— Reservoir Dogs (1992)

On l'appelait Madame Bijoux.

She was called Madame Bijoux.

— Titanic (1997)

On l'appelait "la femme qui chante" parce qu'elle chante tout le temps.

She was called “the woman who sings” because she sings all the time.

— Incendies (2010)

On l'appelait "Lola".

They called her “Lola.”

— The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)

J'ai connu le père, on l'appelait Ray Tout-Court.

I knew the father; his name was Ray Tout-Court.

— Mystic River (2003)

On l'appelait Pinocchio petit.

He was called Little Pinocchio.

— The Little Sister (2025)

On l'appelait Gentleman Jimmy.

He was known as Gentleman Jimmy.

— Les Affranchis (1990)

Quand j'étais jeune, on l'appelait Il le dit en italien.

When I was young, we called him/her/it... He says it in Italian.

— Vacances à Venise (1955)

C'est pour ça qu'on l'appelait Bird.

That's why they called him Bird.

— La La Land (2016)