Their vs There vs They're at a glance
- their
/ðeə/ · determiner
Belonging to them.
- The kids left their shoes by the door.
- My neighbours are selling their car.
- there
/ðeə/ · adverb
In or to that place, or used in "there is" and "there are".
- Put your bag over there.
- There are three cafés on this street.
- they're
/ðeə/ · contraction of they are
A short form of "they are".
- They're coming to dinner on Friday.
- I like these shoes, but they're too expensive.
How to remember it
Their has "heir" in it, and an heir owns things. There has "here" in it, so it is about place. They're has an apostrophe because a letter is missing: they are.
Common mistakes
Wrong: Their going to be late.
Right: They're going to be late.
Wrong: I left my keys over their.
Right: I left my keys over there.
Wrong: The students forgot there books.
Right: The students forgot their books.
Quick quiz
1. is a problem with my laptop.
2.My parents love new flat.
3.Call Tom and Ana – waiting for you.
Pick the right word for each gap.
Often confused too
- yourvsyou'reUse your to show something belongs to you (your bag) and you're only as a short form of "you are".
- itsvsit'sUse its for possession (the cat licked its paw) and it's only as a short form of "it is" or "it has".
- whosevswho'sUse whose to ask or say who owns something (whose bag?) and who's only as a short form of "who is" or "who has".