Word
Definition
det. belonging to us. You use this word to show that something is owned or shared by you and at least one other person.
det. belonging to or associated with the speaker and one or more other people. Functions as a possessive determiner that must be followed by a noun.
Examples
“We love our new house.”
“Our flight leaves at six in the morning, so we need to go to bed early tonight.”
“While individual goals are important, our collective success depends on how well we communicate and support each other during the most difficult phases of the project.”
Examples
simple
“We love our new house.”
contextual
“Our flight leaves at six in the morning, so we need to go to bed early tonight.”
complex
“While individual goals are important, our collective success depends on how well we communicate and support each other during the most difficult phases of the project.”
Usage
A possessive determiner; it must precede a noun or an adjective-noun phrase.
Pitfall
That car is our.
That car is ours.
Learners often confuse the determiner 'our' with the possessive pronoun 'ours'. 'Our' requires a following noun.
Etymology
From Middle English oure, from Old English ūre, ūser (“our”), from Proto-Germanic unseraz (“of us, our”), from Proto-Indo-European n̥-s-ero- (“our”). Cognate with Scots oor (“our”), West Frisian ús (“our”), Low German uns (“our”), Dutch onze (“our”), German unser, unsere (“our”) Danish vor (“our”), Norwegian vår (“our”), and more distantly Latin noster.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related words
Grammar
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A1 MoversIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.2.0–3.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 1.0–1.50–23TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.120–224
- Frequency
- Very common
- Level
- A1 · BeginnerOxford
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/our
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0