Cool MateHis vs Our
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
His
Top 1,000 (very common)A1determiner
Our
High-frequency chunkA1determiner
| His | Our | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 /["/hɪz//ɪz/"]/🇺🇸 /["/hɪz//ɪz/"]/ | 🇬🇧 /["/ɑː(r)//ˈaʊə(r)/"]/🇺🇸 /["/ɑːr//ˈaʊər/"]/ |
| Meaning | belonging to him | belonging to us |
| Example | James has sold his car. | our daughter/dog/house |
| Register | Neutral | Neutral |
| How common | Top 1,000 (very common) | High-frequency chunk |
| CEFR level | A1 | A1 |
| Part of speech | determiner | determiner |
| Collocations | his car, his house, his opinion, his friends, his job | our family, our team, our country |
| Antonyms | her, their | your, their, my |
| Common mistakes | 'His' is mistakenly used for non-male subjects., Confused with 'her' when referring to males., Used incorrectly in plural contexts. | Confused with 'are' in some spoken contexts., Omitting it in contractions like 'we're' instead of 'we are'. |
| Usage notes | Use 'his' for something that belongs to a male person or boy. It's appropriate in both spoken and written English. Avoid using 'his' when referring to a non-binary or female person; use 'their' instead. | 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: His vs Our
What's the difference between His and Our?
His: belonging to him Our: belonging to us
Are His and Our the same CEFR level?
His: A1, Our: A1 on the CEFR scale.
What part of speech are His and Our?
His: determiner, Our: determiner.
Can you show an example of each?
His: James has sold his car. Our: our daughter/dog/house
Can I use His and Our interchangeably?
Not always. His 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.