Are or Our?

What Is the Difference between "Are" and "Our"?

The Quick Answer

Are

(verb) a present-tense form of the verb "to be"
  • The goats are in the field. correct tick

Our

(determiner) "belonging to us"
  • I think our car is older. correct tick
  • ("Our" is the possessive determiner for the pronoun "we." Possessive determiners are also known as possessive adjectives.)
are or our?
"Are" and "our" are easy to confuse because they sound so similar. However, "are" and "our" have very different uses.

Are. "Are" is similar to the words "am" and "is" because all three are forms of the verb "to be" in the present tense. For example:
  • I am angry.
  • She is angry.
  • We are angry.
Our. "Our" means "belonging to us." It is like "my," "your," and "his."
  • This is my daughter.
  • This is your daughter.
  • This is our daughter.
(These words are called possessive determiners.)
are or our?

Are

"Are" is from the verb "to be." Here is a table showing where "are" fits among the other verbs "to be" in the simple present tense:
PronounPersonVerb "To Be" in the Simple Present Tense
IFirst person singularam
YouSecond person singularare
He/She/ItThird person singularis
WeFirst person pluralare
YouSecond person pluralare
TheyThird person plural are

Examples Sentences with "Are"

Here are some example sentences with "are":
  • They are looking forward to Christmas. correct tick
  • When you are courting a nice girl, an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder, a second seems like an hour. That's relativity. correct tick (Physicist Albert Einstein)
  • Age is something that doesn't matter, unless you are a cheese. correct tick (Filmmaker Luis Bunuel)

Our

"Our" means "belonging to us." "Our" is a possessive determiner. Here is a table showing where "our" fits among the other possessive determiners:
PronounPersonPossessive Determiner
IFirst person singularmy
YouSecond person singularyour
He/She/ItThird person singularhis/her/its
WeFirst person pluralour
YouSecond person pluralyour
TheyThird person plural their

Examples Sentences with "Our"

Here are some example sentences with "our":
  • This is our dog. correct tick
  • We love even when our love is not requited. correct tick (Philosopher Mortimer Adler)
  • All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them. correct tick (Entrepreneur Walt Disney)
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This page was written by Craig Shrives.