Le nôtre/le vôtre/le leur/etc = Ours/yours/theirs (French Possessive Pronouns)

Written by Qualified French Expert Aurélie Drouard HKH, Licence d'anglais LLCE
Last updated: 2023-10-05
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In French, just like in English, possessive pronouns are used to indicate possession. However, they have different forms to agree with the gender and number of the thing possessed.

Learn about the French possessive pronouns

Look at these sentences:

J'aime bien ta voiture, elle est mieux que la leur.I like your car, it's better than theirs.

Es-tu propriétaire de ta maison ? Nous allons acheter la nôtre.Do you own your house? We're going to buy ours.

Ces lunettes de soleil ne sont pas les leurs.Those sunglasses are not theirs.

The expressions for 'ours', 'yours' and 'theirs' in French agree in gender and number with the noun they imply or replace:

  ours yours (pl) theirs
masc.sing. le nôtre  le vôtre  le leur
fem.sing. la nôtre  la vôtre  la leur
masc.pl. les nôtres  les vôtres  les leurs
fem.pl. les nôtres  les vôtres  les leurs

 

See also Le mien/le tien/le sien/etc = Mine/yours/his/hers/its (French Possessive Pronouns)
and Expressing possession in French with "être à"

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Learn more about these related French grammar topics

Examples and resources

Es-tu propriétaire de ta maison ? Nous allons acheter la nôtre.Do you own your house? We're going to buy ours.
Ces lunettes de soleil ne sont pas les leurs.Those sunglasses are not theirs.
À qui sont ces stylos ? - Ce sont les vôtres.Whose are these pens? - They're yours.
J'aime bien ta voiture, elle est mieux que la leur.I like your car, it's better than theirs.
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