où sont
où sont is the French way to say "where are" when asking for the location of multiple people or things.
You use où sont to inquire about the location of several items or individuals. For a more polite way to ask for directions or to find the location of a specific place, you might use Où se trouve?
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of où (where) and sont (are, which is the third-person plural form of the verb être).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebecois French, Où qu't'es? is used as an informal way to ask "Where are you?"
How does it change in a sentence?
In formal or written French, it is common to invert the subject pronoun after the verb in a question, such as in the phrase Où sont-ils ?
Did you know?
- The word où is a direct descendant of the Latin word ubi, which is also the root of the English word 'ubiquity'.
- The phrase où sont is the foundation of the famous French literary trope Où sont les neiges d'antan ?, which translates to 'Where are the snows of yesteryear?'
- In colloquial spoken French, the word order often flips to ils sont où ? instead of the formal où sont-ils ?
Examples in context
- Où sont tes clés ?Where are your keys?This sentence is useful for asking about the location of your keys using où sont.Tatoeba #1229167 by Salutlolo, translation #1229116 by Eldad
- Où sont nos amis ?Where are our friends?This sentence is useful for asking about the location of your friends using où sont.Tatoeba #4910600 by sacredceltic, translation #3738446 by CK
- Où sont les clés ?Where are the keys?Tatoeba #7414341 by Rockaround, translation #2548478 by CK
- Où sont les magasins?Where are the shops?
- Où sont les personnes?Where are the people?
- Où sont mes affaires?Where are my belongings?
- 184 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Nathan are looking for their backpacks in the living room.
- EmmaNathan, où sont nos sacs ?Nathan, where are our bags?
- NathanIls sont dans l'entrée.They are in the entrance.
- EmmaAh, d'accord. Merci !Ah, okay. Thank you!
- NathanDe rien, Emma.You're welcome, Emma.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
