nous
/nu/
nous is the French word for we or us.
The word nous is the first-person plural pronoun used to refer to a group that includes the speaker. It functions as both a subject pronoun, meaning we and an object pronoun, meaning us.
Which one should you use?
While nous can mean both we and us, in informal spoken French, the pronoun on is much more common to mean we, although on can also mean one or people in a general sense.
How does it change in a sentence?
When nous is used as the subject of a sentence, the following verb must be conjugated in the first-person plural form, such as nous sommes or nous habitons.
How do you pronounce it?
/nu/
Did you know?
- In some regional French dialects, speakers use je instead of nous to mean 'we', such as saying j'allons instead of nous allons. This usage has been mocked as a sign of low social status since the 15th century.
- The famous playwright Molière once mocked the use of je instead of nous as a peasant-like way of speaking.
Examples in context
- Nous sommes heureux de vous rencontrer.We are happy to meet you.
- Nous parlons français couramment.We speak French fluently.
- Nous aimons voyager.We love to travel.
- Ils nous ont invités à la fête.They invited us to the party.
- Pouvez-vous nous aider?Can you help us?
- On va au cinéma.We are going to the cinema.
- On adore ce restaurant.We love this restaurant.
- Il nous a invités à sa fête.He invited us to his party.
- Nous aimons les langues étrangères.We love foreign languages.
- Nous allons au cinéma ce soir.We are going to the cinema tonight.
- Est-ce que nous pouvons partir ?Can we leave?
- Nous aimons beaucoup cette ville.We like this city a lot.
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are deciding what to eat for dinner.
- LucasNous mangeons une pizza ce soir ?Are we eating a pizza tonight?
- ChloéBonne idée, Chloé adore ça !Good idea, Chloé loves that!
- LucasOn commande pour nous deux ?Shall we order for the two of us?
- ChloéOui, faisons ça.Yes, let's do that.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry nous, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries nous, CC BY-SA 4.0.
