Published September 13, 2012 • Updated June 18, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Où — Meaning and Pronunciation
Où is a French question word meaning “where”. You’ll hear it in sentences such as “Où sont les toilettes ?” (Where is the restroom?). Où can also be used as a relative pronoun meaning “when”. For example, “Je me souviens du jour où…” (I remember the day when…). Ou without the grave accent means “or”.
IPA pronunciation of où is /u/, which sounds approximately like “oo” as in “food”.
Example Sentences
Où sont les toilettes, s’il vous plaît ?
Where is the restroom, please?
Zut ! Où est-ce que j’ai mis mon téléphone ?
Darn! Where did I put my phone?
Je sais où elle travaille.
I know where she works.
Je me souviens du jour où je suis arrivé ici.
I remember the day when I arrived here.
Où vs. ou — what’s the difference?
“Ou” without the grave accent (l’accent grave) over the -u means “or”.
Tu prends une pizza ou une salade ?
Are you having a pizza or a salad?
On part aujourd’hui ou demain matin ?
Are we leaving today or tomorrow morning?
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Related French Question Words
- que — what
- quoi — what
- quand — when
- pourquoi — why
- comment — how
- quel — which / what
- combien — how much / how many
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