Cool MateMy vs Our
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
My
High-frequency chunkA1determiner
Our
High-frequency chunkA1determiner
| My | Our | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 /["/maɪ/"]/🇺🇸 /["/maɪ/"]/ | 🇬🇧 /["/ɑː(r)//ˈaʊə(r)/"]/🇺🇸 /["/ɑːr//ˈaʊər/"]/ |
| Meaning | belonging to me | belonging to us |
| Example | Where's my passport? | our daughter/dog/house |
| Register | Neutral | Neutral |
| How common | High-frequency chunk | High-frequency chunk |
| CEFR level | A1 | A1 |
| Part of speech | determiner | determiner |
| Collocations | my friend, my house, my opinion, my car | our family, our team, our country |
| Antonyms | your, his, her, their | your, their, my |
| Common mistakes | 'My' is confused with 'mine' in possessive cases., Used incorrectly outside its context, e.g., referring to someone else's belongings. | Confused with 'are' in some spoken contexts., Omitting it in contractions like 'we're' instead of 'we are'. |
| Usage notes | Use 'my' to show that something belongs to you. It's commonly used in everyday speech. Avoid using it in formal writing as a possessive adjective. | Used to show that something belongs to a group that includes the speaker. It's appropriate in most contexts, both spoken and written. Avoid using in very formal writing where other possessive forms might be preferred. |
Frequently asked questions: My vs Our
What's the difference between My and Our?
My: belonging to me Our: belonging to us
Are My and Our the same CEFR level?
My: A1, Our: A1 on the CEFR scale.
Can I use My and Our interchangeably?
Not always. My and Our are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.