Notre Père
/nɔ.tʁə pɛʁ/masculine
The English phrase "our father" can be translated into French as Notre Père.
The term is primarily used as the name of the Lord's Prayer or as a title referring to God. In a non-religious context, such as referring to a biological parent, the phrase is used in lowercase.
Meaning: Lord's Prayer (name)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the possessive adjective notre (our) and the noun père (father).
Which one should you use?
The capitalized form Notre Père refers specifically to the religious prayer or to God. In contrast, the lowercase version notre père is used to refer to one's biological father.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you are referring to a biological father within a general sentence, the phrase should not be capitalized.
How do you pronounce it?
/nɔ.tʁə pɛʁ/
Did you know?
- During the French Revolution, some secular movements attempted to replace the Notre Père with civic prayers that praised the 'Supreme Being' instead of a father figure.
- The phrase Notre Père acts as a 'calque', meaning it was created as a word-for-word translation of the Latin 'Pater noster' to ensure theological consistency.
- While Notre Père is the standard name for the prayer, in many formal liturgical settings, the prayer is simply referred to as le Notre by practitioners.
Examples in context
- Notre Père, qui es aux cieux.Our Father, who art in Heaven.This sentence is useful for seeing the beginning of the Lord's Prayer using Notre Père.Tatoeba #6636215 by GB3, translation #6635820 by Reonaato
- Nous ne connaissons pas notre père.We don't know our father.This sentence shows the use of notre père when referring to a biological father.Tatoeba #11821008 by Rovo, translation #8086265 by maaster
- Nous sommes aussi grandes que notre père.We're as tall as our father.This sentence demonstrates the use of notre père when describing a physical characteristic.Tatoeba #2286669 by Amastan, translation #13082912 by rul
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A young woman and a man are praying in a church.
- GabrielCommençons par le Notre Père.Let us begin with the Our Father.
- ChloéD'accord, Gabriel.Okay, Gabriel.
- GabrielNotre Père, qui es aux cieux.Our Father, who art in heaven.
- ChloéQue ton nom soit sanctifié.Hallowed be thy name.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “our father” translations and entries Notre Père, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Notre Père, notre, père, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
