l'ours
To say the animal bear in French, use l'ours.
ours names the large, heavy mammal with thick fur and the same word is used for both male and female bears. A brown bear is Ours brun.
How does it change in a sentence?
ours is masculine, so its article is le, which shortens to l' before the vowel. The plural is les ours.
Did you know?
- The word oursin, meaning 'sea urchin', literally translates to 'sea bear' because of the animal's bristly appearance.
- If someone is described as un ours, it means they are a grumpy or socially awkward person who prefers to be alone.
- In French folklore, the bear is often associated with the 'wild man' archetype, leading to the term ours being used in old tales to describe hairy, uncivilized humans.
Examples in context
- Je vois l'ours dans la forêt.I see the bear in the forest.
- L'ours est un animal très grand.The bear is a very large animal.
- L'ours mange du poisson.The bear eats fish.
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are watching a nature documentary on TV.
- LucasRegarde, l'ours est sur l'écran !Look, the bear is on the screen!
- ChloéIl est impressionnant, cet ours.That bear is impressive.
- LucasIl a une fourrure très épaisse.He has very thick fur.
- ChloéOui, il semble très fort.Yes, he seems very strong.
