Why academic French uses nous for a single writer
The nous de modestie: why one author writes nous avons montré in French theses and articles, and how agreement works (nous sommes convaincu). With examples to revise.
In short
In academic French, a single author traditionally writes nous instead of je: Nous avons montré que… This nous de modestie (or nous d'auteur) sounds impersonal and modest. Verbs stay plural, but adjectives and participles agree with the real author: nous sommes convaincu(e).
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
| Element | Agreement | Example |
|---|---|---|
| verb | plural (nous) | Nous avons analysé… |
| adjective / participle with être | singular, writer's gender | Nous sommes persuadée que… |
| pronoun | nous | Il nous semble que… |
Why nous rather than je?
French academic tradition values an impersonal, measured voice. Nous includes the reader in the reasoning (nous verrons que…) and avoids sounding self-centred. Today, je is accepted in many disciplines, especially in the humanities and in English-influenced fields, and some supervisors prefer it. The key is consistency: choose one and keep it throughout.
Dans cette étude, nous nous intéresserons à trois corpus.
In this study, I will focus on three corpora.
Nous sommes consciente des limites de cette méthode.
I am aware of the limits of this method.
Female author: consciente (singular, feminine).
Comme nous l'avons montré au chapitre 2…
As shown in chapter 2…
| French | Use |
|---|---|
| on | general, slightly less formal: on constate que… |
| le passif | Il a été montré que… |
| l'impersonnel | Il apparaît que… / Il convient de… |
| je | personal stance, accepted in many fields |
Note the difference with the inclusive nous used to guide the reader through a text: Voyons maintenant…, Nous l'avons vu…. Both are common in French essays and dissertations, and both keep the verb plural.
1 · Revise: make the agreement right (one female author)
- Nous sommes que l'hypothèse est valide. (convaincu)
- Nous nous sommes sur des sources primaires. (appuyé)
- Nous interrogé vingt enseignants. (verb stays plural)
- Nous sommes convaincus (one female author).Nous sommes convaincue.
Agreement follows the real author: singular, feminine.
- Je pensons que…Nous pensons que… / Je pense que…
Choose je or nous, then keep the matching verb form.