ons

See also -ons

Afrikaans

Alternative forms

• onse (archaic, possessive only)

Etymology

From Dutch ons.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɔns/

Pronoun

ons

1. we (first-person plural subject pronoun)
2. us (first-person plural object pronoun)
3. our, ours (first-person plural possessive pronoun)

See also

Afrikaans personal pronouns

		subjective	objective	possessive
singular	1st	ek	my
	2nd	jy	jou
	2nd, formal	u
	3rd, masc	hy	hom	sy
	3rd, fem	sy	haar
	3rd, neut	dit		sy
plural	1st	ons
	2nd	julle		julle / jul1
	3rd	hulle		hulle / hul1
1. In the second and third persons plural, the usual possessive forms are julle and hulle (like the subjective and objective forms), but jul and hul are sometimes used instead when the sentence would otherwise be ambiguous.

---

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɔns

• audio

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch ons, from Old Dutch uns, from Proto-Germanic *uns, *unsiz.

Pronoun

ons (personal)

1. us (objective form of wij or we)

   Geef ons heden ons dagelijks brood — Give '(US)' our daily bread.

Etymology 2

From Old Dutch *unsa, from Proto-Germanic *unseraz.

Determiner

ons (dependent possessive, independent possessive onze, inflected form onze)

1. our (indicates that the noun that follows belongs to '(US)')

   Geef ons heden ons dagelijks brood — Give us our daily bread.

Declension

Dutch personal pronouns

	subject		object		possessive			reflexive
singular	full	unstr.	full	unstr.	full	unstr.	pred.
1st person	ik	'k1	mij	me	mijn	m'n1	mijne	me
2nd person	jij	je	jou	je	jouw	je	jouwe	je
2nd person dialectal	gij	ge	u	–	uw	–	uwe	u
2nd person formal	u	–	u	–	uw	–	uwe	zich
3rd person masculine	hij	ie1	hem	'm1	zijn	z'n1	zijne	zich
3rd person feminine	zij	ze	haar	'r1, d'r1	haar	'r1, d'r1	hare	zich
3rd person neuter	het	't1	het	't1	zijn	z'n1	zijne	zich
plural
1st person	wij	we	ons	–	ons, onze2	–	onze	ons
2nd person	jullie	je	jullie	je	jullie	je	–	je
2nd person dialectal	gij	ge	u	–	uw	–	uwe	u
2nd person formal	u	–	u	–	uw	–	uwe	zich
3rd person	zij	ze	hen3, hun4	ze	hun	–	hunne	zich
1) Not as common in written language. 2) Inflected as an adjective.				3) In prescriptivist use, used only as direct object (accusative). 4) In prescriptivist use, used only as indirect object (dative).

Etymology 3

Noun

ons n (plural onsen or onzen, ^??? please provide the diminutive!)

1. metric ounce (100 grams)

Usage notes

Prior to the law of 1820 that introduced the metric system in what then united both the Netherlands and Belgium a variety of measures ranging around ca 30 grams were known by this name. The law of 1820 attributed the name to the hectogram of 100 grams. In 1937 the IJkwet of the Netherlands officially abolished the term, but it is still commonly used.

---

Swedish

Noun

ons

1. indefinite genitive plural of o

---

Turkish

Noun

ons

1. ounce

---

Volapük

Pronoun

ons

1. (nominative plural of on) they (neuter or of mixed or unspecified gender)