ou…ou

In French, the construction “ou…ou” is commonly used to present alternatives or choices. It translates to “either…or” in English.

Examples:

  1. “Tu peux choisir ou le chocolat ou la vanille.” (You can choose either chocolate or vanilla.)
  2. “Nous irons au cinéma ou nous resterons à la maison.” (We’ll either go to the cinema or stay at home.)
  3. “Elle peut prendre le train ou l’avion pour se rendre à Paris.” (She can either take the train or the plane to go to Paris.)
  4. “Veux-tu du café ou du thé?” (Do you want either coffee or tea?)
  5. “Il doit décider s’il veut partir maintenant ou attendre demain.” (He needs to decide whether he wants to leave now or wait until tomorrow.)

Read more:

See the post about the “soit…soit” construction in French.

Don’t miss new articles!

Get 1 email a week with new articles about French

We don’t spam! Read more in our privacy policy

Similar Posts

  • Thanks

    French has a small set of core words and patterns to give thanks. The choice depends on formality, strength, and grammar. Some forms are set phrases. Others change with the object or person. Merci merci is the basic word for “thanks.” It does not change form. Use it on its own or with additions. With…

  • Grammar: Imperfect tense

    The Imperfect verb tense (l’imparfait) in French is used to express continuous action in the past. If we use the English verb “to give” as an example, the meanings of the French Imperfect version of this verb would be “I was giving,” “I used to give,” “I kept on giving,” or even “I gave.” There…

  • cour, cours & court

    These three French words are pronounced the same, despite their slightly different spellings. “La cour” (Feminine Noun) Meaning: “la cour” as a feminine noun translates to “courtyard” in English. It represents an open space, typically enclosed by buildings or walls, found within a home, castle, or other architectural structures. Courtyards often serve as central gathering…

  • ça tombe bien

    Understanding “Ça tombe bien” in French The French phrase “ça tombe bien” might seem a little puzzling if translated literally. Word-for-word, it means “that falls well.” However, this literal translation doesn’t convey the true meaning of the phrase. Instead, “ça tombe bien” is used to express that something happens at a convenient time or that…