ours
/uʁs/masculine
The English word bear translates to ours in French. 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 |
The term is used to refer to the large mammal of the family Ursidae. In an informal or affectionate context, you may hear the term nounours, which specifically refers to a teddy bear.
Which one should you use?
ours is the masculine form, while ourse is the feminine form used specifically for a female bear.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun ours is masculine, whereas the feminine form of bear is ourse.
How do you pronounce it?
/uʁs/
Did you know?
- In French, calling someone an ours doesn't just mean they are like a bear, but specifically that they are grumpy and antisocial.
- The word ours shares a distant linguistic ancestor with the English word 'arctic', which comes from the Greek word for bear, 'arktos'.
- The masculine ours and the feminine ourse actually share the same pronunciation /uʁs/ in many traditional phonetic contexts, despite the spelling difference.
Examples in context
- Un ours vit ici.Here lives one bear.This sentence shows how to use the masculine form ours.Tatoeba #3846387 by Whidou, translation #2019091 by Balamax
- L'ours aime le miel.The bear likes honey.This sentence uses the masculine form ours.Tatoeba #12212734 by Maritzanka, translation #12213502 by Miktsoanit
- L'ours mange du miel.The bear is eating honey.Tatoeba #8344122 by felix63, translation #8352692 by lirpa
- Regarde ce joli nounours en peluche !Look at this cute teddy bear!
- 88 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Emma are looking at a picture in a book.
- NathanRegarde cet ours noir.Look at this black bear.
- EmmaIl est très grand, cet ours.That bear is very big.
- NathanL'ours a l'air calme.The bear looks calm.
- EmmaOui, mais ne l'approche pas.Yes, but don't go near it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bear” translations and entries ours, ourse, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
