Cool MateOur vs Your
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
Our
High-frequency chunkA1determiner
Your
High-frequency chunkA1determiner
| Our | Your | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 /["/ɑː(r)//ˈaʊə(r)/"]/🇺🇸 /["/ɑːr//ˈaʊər/"]/ | 🇬🇧 /["/jɔː(r)//jə(r)/"]/🇺🇸 /["/jʊr//jər/"]/ |
| Meaning | belonging to us | Belonging to you. |
| Example | our daughter/dog/house | I like your dress. |
| Register | Neutral | Neutral |
| How common | High-frequency chunk | High-frequency chunk |
| CEFR level | A1 | A1 |
| Part of speech | determiner | determiner |
| Collocations | our family, our team, our country | your opinion, your time, your name |
| Antonyms | your, their, my | my, their, his, her |
| Common mistakes | Confused with 'are' in some spoken contexts., Omitting it in contractions like 'we're' instead of 'we are'. | Confused with 'you're' (you are)., Omitted in possessive phrases., Mismatched with plural nouns. |
| Usage notes | 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. | Used to show something belongs to the listener. Common in both spoken and written language. Avoid using in very formal situations. |
Frequently asked questions: Our vs Your
What's the difference between Our and Your?
Our: belonging to us Your: Belonging to you.
Are Our and Your the same CEFR level?
Our: A1, Your: A1 on the CEFR scale.
What part of speech are Our and Your?
Our: determiner, Your: determiner.
Can you show an example of each?
Our: our daughter/dog/house Your: I like your dress.
Can I use Our and Your interchangeably?
Not always. Our and Your 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.