Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| le nôtre | /lə notʁ/ | masculine |
| la nôtre | /la notʁ/ | feminine |
| les nôtres | /le notʁ/ | plural |
le nôtre is a pronoun used to represent that which belongs to us, often functioning as a synonym for qui nous appartient.
Which one should you use?
While notre is a possessive adjective that must be followed by a noun, the pronoun le nôtre is used to replace a noun entirely. For the singular forms, you must choose between le nôtre and la nôtre based on the gender of the noun being replaced.
How does it change in a sentence?
The gender of the singular pronoun must match the noun it replaces, using le nôtre for masculine nouns and la nôtre for feminine nouns. For the plural, the form les nôtres is used regardless of whether the objects being possessed are masculine or feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
/lə notʁ/
When do people say it?
The idiomatic expression Chez nous can be used to mean "at our place" or "at ours".
Did you know?
- The term les nôtres is often used idiomatically in French to refer to 'one's own people', 'family', or 'kin'. It moves beyond simple possession to describe a sense of belonging to a specific group or community.
- The circumflex accent on the 'o' in nôtre serves as a visual marker to distinguish the pronoun from the possessive adjective notre. Without the accent, the word changes its grammatical function entirely.
- Because le nôtre is built from the Latin word 'ille', it is structurally related to the French words for 'that' or 'that one'. This creates a linguistic link between 'ours' and the concept of 'pointing' to a specific thing.
Examples in context
- Est-ce le nôtre ?Is this ours?This sentence is useful for asking if something is le nôtre.Tatoeba #4904504 by sacredceltic, translation #10104690 by sundown
- Celle-ci est la nôtre.This one is ours.This sentence is useful for stating that a specific one is la nôtre.Tatoeba #6167036 by Aiji, translation #5158673 by CK
- Ce n'est pas le nôtre.It is not ours.This sentence is useful for stating that something is not le nôtre.Tatoeba #8268402 by felix63, translation #11141834 by carlosalberto
- Ce livre est le nôtre.This book is ours.
- L'idée était la nôtre.The idea was ours.
- Cette voiture est la nôtre.This car is ours.
- C'est notre maison.It is our house.
- Cette victoire est à nous.This victory is ours.
- Le dîner ce soir, c'est chez nous.Dinner tonight is at our place.
- 45 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are looking at a parked car.
- LucasCe n'est pas le nôtre.It is not ours.
- ManonTu es sûr ?Are you sure?
- LucasOui, le nôtre est bleu.Yes, ours is blue.
- ManonAh, je vois maintenant.Ah, I see now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ours” translations and entries le nôtre, la nôtre, les nôtres, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries la, le, les, nôtre, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
