notre / nos
First-person Plural Possessive Notre, Nos
notre = our (singular noun)
nos = our (plural nouns)
How It Works
The words notre and nos both mean 'our'. They are used to show that something belongs to a group that includes the speaker (the nous group).
Unlike English, where 'our' never changes, French requires you to look at the noun that follows:
- notre: Used before any singular noun, whether it is masculine or feminine. For example: notre fils (our son) and notre fille (our daughter).
- nos: Used before any plural noun. For example: nos enfants (our children).
Phonetic Tip: When nos is followed by a word starting with a vowel or a mute 'h', you must perform a liaison. This means the 's' in nos is pronounced like a /z/ sound (e.g., nos amis sounds like 'no-zami').
Note on 'On': In casual French, people often use on to mean 'we'. Even when using on, it is very common to use notre and nos to say 'our'.
Examples (5)
- Nous aimons beaucoup notre quartier.
We really like our neighborhood.
Word by Word: We like much our neighborhood.
'Quartier' is singular, so we use 'notre'.
- Est-ce que vous avez vu nos clés ?
Have you seen our keys?
Word by Word: Is it that you have seen our keys?
'Clés' is plural, so we use 'nos'.
- C'est notre amie française.
She is our French friend.
Word by Word: It is our friend French.
'Notre' does not change its form before a vowel, unlike 'ma' or 'ta'.
- On a passé notre week-end à la mer.
We spent our weekend at the seaside.
Word by Word: One has passed our weekend at the sea.
Even when 'on' is used to mean 'we', 'notre' is the natural choice for 'our'.
- Où sont nos passeports ?
Where are our passports?
Word by Word: Where are our passports?
'Passeports' is plural, so 'nos' is required.
Common Mistakes
Using 'notre' for plural nouns.
Où sont notre valises ?Où sont nos valises ?In French, the possessive must agree with the noun. Since 'valises' is plural, you must use 'nos'.
Adding a circumflex accent to the adjective 'notre'.
C'est nôtre maison.C'est notre maison.The adjective 'notre' (our) never has an accent. The accent is only used for the pronoun 'le nôtre' (ours).
Confusing 'nos' (our) with 'nous' (we/us).
C'est nous chien.C'est notre chien.'Nous' is a pronoun meaning 'we' or 'us'. To say 'our', you must use the possessive adjective 'notre' or 'nos'.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use 'notre' and 'nos', you need to understand the concept of the first-person plural ('we/our') and how French possessive adjectives change based on whether the noun they describe is singular or plural.
- nousFirst-person Plural Nous
Understanding the first-person plural 'nous' (we) is essential to understanding the corresponding possessive 'notre/nos' (our).
Level 1 - mon / ma / mesFirst-person Possessive Mon, Ma, Mes
Learning the basic concept of possessive adjectives and how they replace articles is best introduced through the first-person singular forms.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- votre / vosFormal or Plural Possessive Votre, Vos
The second-person plural/formal equivalent ('your').
Level 1 - leur / leursThird-person Plural Possessive Leur, Leurs
The third-person plural equivalent ('their').
Level 1 - Linking a silent consonant to the next vowel
Explains how to pronounce the 's' in 'nos' when followed by a vowel.
Level 1 - Possessive pronouns (mine, yours, etc.)
Explains how to say 'ours' (le nôtre) instead of 'our' (notre).
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice notre / nos in Bubblegum
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