on ne l'a pas

we didn’t

→ on
phrase Uncommon #20,989
we didn’t Usually followed by a past participle or another verb phrase. “On” commonly means “we,” and “l’” means “him,” “her,” or “it,” depending on context; the exact English tense depends on the verb that follows.
FR: On ne l'a pas invité à la fête.
EN: We didn't invite him to the party.

On ne l'a pas laissé entrer sans cravate.

They didn't let him in without a tie.

Allô, non, on ne l'a pas vu.

Hello, no, we didn’t see him.

— Rome, ville ouverte (1945)

On ne l'a pas volé, mais gagné.

We didn’t steal it; we earned it.

— Qui suis-je (2014)

Il était malade, donc on ne l'a pas autorisé à sortir.

He was sick, so we didn’t let him go out.

On ne l'a pas su avant hier.

We didn't find out until the day before yesterday.

On ne l'a pas arrêtée.

We didn't arrest her.

— Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die (2026)

On ne l'a pas vu depuis des jours.

We haven't seen him for days.

— La Chute (2004)

On n'éprouve pas Shakespeare tant qu'on ne l'a pas lu en version originale.

You don’t truly experience Shakespeare until you’ve read him in the original.

On ne l'a pas terminée.

We didn't finish it.

— Piège de cristal (1988)

On en vient justement mais on ne l'a pas vue.

We’re actually coming from there, but we didn’t see her.

— Mon voisin Totoro (1988)

Mais on ne l'a pas fait.

But we didn't.

On ne l'a pas cru, il n'avait que sa parole et vous aviez des preuves.

We didn't believe him; he only had his word, while you had evidence.

— Mirage (2018)

Il est évident que l'on ne l'a pas utilisé auparavant.

It is obvious that it has not been used before.

On ne l'a pas touché!

We didn't touch him!

— Star Wars, épisode I - La Menace fantôme (1999)

Non, on ne l'a pas fait.

No, we didn't.