nous/nu/
pronoun / noun · A1 · Frequency 58
pronouncommon
Meanings
we
First-person plural pronoun, subject or object; royal we is a formal register.
Examples
Nous partirons dès que le train arrivera.
We will leave as soon as the train arrives.
Le professeur nous a félicités pour notre travail.
The teacher praised us for our work.
Le guide nous montrera le chemin vers le village.
The guide will show us the way to the village.
Collocations
- nous parlonswe speak
- nous sommeswe are
- nous avonswe have
Common mistakes
nous sommes allé
nous sommes allés
‘nous’ is plural, so the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject.
nous avons parlé à vous
nous vous avons parlé
Incorrect placement of indirect object pronoun; ‘vous’ should precede the verb.
Related words
Grammar note
Nous is the first-person plural personal pronoun with identical subject and object forms, used both as subject and object pronoun.
nounmasculine
Meanings
we
Used as the subject pronoun referring to the speaker and others.
the nous, (divine) reason in philosophy
Mainly used in philosophical contexts to denote reason or intellect.
Examples
Nous sommes allés au marché ensemble ce matin pour acheter des fruits frais.
We went to the market together this morning to buy fresh fruits.
Dans la philosophie grecque, le nous représente la raison divine ou l'intellect universel.
In Greek philosophy, the nous represents divine reason or universal intellect.
Collocations
- le nous divinthe divine nous
Common mistakes
nous sommes allé
nous sommes allés
With first-person plural subjects, the past participle must agree in gender and number.
nous avons parti
nous sommes partis
The verb 'partir' uses auxiliary 'être' and the past participle must agree with the subject in gender and number.