French word

nous

Pronunciation

IPA/nu/

Meaning

  • pronounus

Example

Tu viens avec nous ?

Are you coming with us?

Illustration for nous (us)

More examples

Nous sommes prêts.

We are ready.

Core concept

One speaking voice represents itself together with at least one other person as the subject.

Common phrases

  • nous sommes

    we are

  • nous avons

    we have

  • chez nous

    at our place

Similar words

on: A common casual pronoun referring to people, sometimes including the speaker.
tu: A casual singular pronoun for addressing someone familiar.
vous: A respectful pronoun for addressing one person or multiple people.
je: A pronoun referring to the speaker alone.

Definition in French

Désigne le locuteur et au moins une autre personne lorsqu'il est employé comme sujet.

Word origin

French inherited nous from the Latin first-person plural pronoun nos through the development of Old French.

Usage tips

  • In informal spoken French, on often replaces nous as the subject, although the verb with on is third-person singular.

Other meanings

  • wepronoun
  • ourselvespronoun

Opposites

  • vousyoupronoun
  • ilstheypronoun

Word lists with this word