ours
/uʁs/masculine
The French word for bear is ours. Wiktionary also lists ourse.
Meaning: large mammal of family Ursidae (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ours | /uʁs/ /uʁ/ |
masculine |
| ourse | /uʁs/ | feminine |
ours refers to the large mammal of the family Ursidae. It can also be used in a playful or diminutive sense as the masculine noun nounours.
Which one should you use?
The masculine form is ours, while the feminine form is ourse, which specifically refers to a female bear.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
ours is a masculine noun. The feminine form of bear is ourse.
How do you pronounce it?
/uʁs/
Did you know?
- If someone is described as un ours, it does not necessarily mean they are an animal, but rather that they are grumpy, antisocial or unsociable.
- The word ours stems from the ancient Proto-Indo-European root *h₂ŕ̥tḱos, which is a distant relative of the English word 'arctic'.
- Unlike English, where 'bear' can be a verb meaning to carry or endure, the French ours is exclusively a noun and cannot be used as a verb.
Examples in context
- Un ours vit ici.Here lives one bear.This sentence is useful for seeing ours used with a number.Tatoeba #3846387 by Whidou, translation #2019091 by Balamax
- L'ours aime le miel.The bear likes honey.This sentence is useful for seeing ours as the subject of a sentence.Tatoeba #12212734 by Maritzanka, translation #12213502 by Miktsoanit
- L'ours mange du miel.The bear is eating honey.This sentence is useful for seeing ours performing an action.Tatoeba #8344122 by felix63, translation #8352692 by lirpa
- J'ai vu un grand ours dans la forêt.I saw a big bear in the forest.
- J'ai un petit nounours en peluche.I have a small teddy bear.
- 88 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are visiting a zoo.
- LucasRegarde, l'ours est énorme !Look, the bear is huge!
- ChloéOui, il est vraiment impressionnant.Yes, he is really impressive.
- LucasEst-ce qu'un ours dort beaucoup ?Does a bear sleep a lot?
- ChloéOui, ils hibernent en hiver.Yes, they hibernate in winter.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bear” translations and entries ours, ourse, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ours, ourse, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
