THEY'RE vs. THEIR vs. THERE
English grammar lesson
They're, Their and There
have the same pronunciation in English.
They sound the same and words that sound the same are called homophones.
It is a common mistake to misspell these words in written English
even for native English speakers because they sound the same
however they have different meanings.
What is the difference between they're, their and there?
They're (they apostrophe R E)
is a contraction of they are.
For example
They're happy.
They're means they are.
They are happy.
THEY'RE can be followed by an adjective.
They're + adjective
An adjective is usually a description.
They're happy means they are happy.
Happy is an adjective.
They're angry means they are angry.
They're tall means they are tall.
Yes, those giants are very tall.
Happy, angry and tall are adjectives.
They are describing those people.
They're can be followed by a verb ending in -ING
They're + verb-ing
This verb-ing is an action.
They're crying means they are crying.
They're watching TV.
They're learning English.
Crying, watching and learning
are all verbs ending in -ING
They refer to the action of these people.
Sometimes THEY'RE can be followed by a plural noun.
They're + plural noun
They're painters means they are painters.
Painters is a plural noun.
And sometimes we can put an adjective before that noun for example we can say
They're great painters.
THEIR (t-h-e-i-r) is a possessive adjective.
It shows possession or that something belongs to some people you are not talking to right now.
It refers to something other people have or own.
Look at this example:
They have toys. Their toys are new.
THEIR is a possessive adjective.
THEIR shows the toys belong to the kids, to them.
Other examples of possessive adjectives are:
MY toys, YOUR toys, HIS toys, HER toys,
OUR toys, and of course THEIR toys.
They're not my toys. They are their toys.
THEIR is used for a group of two or more people that are not with you right now.
Look at these sentences.
John and Mary are married.
Their house is big.
We used THEIR because it refers to John and Mary.
John and Mary are THEY.
Another example
Diego and Daniel are brothers.
Their mother speaks Spanish.
We used THEIR because it refers to Diego and Daniel. Diego and Daniel are THEY.
You can see that we have a noun after THEIR.
In this sentence, the noun is mother.
They're + noun
This noun is usually a thing or a person.
Our example sentences:
They have a car. Their car is new. The noun is car.
They took their surfboards to the beach.
The students put their homework on the teacher's desk.
Sometimes there is an adjective before the noun. For example:
They took their OLD surfboards to the beach.
Something important to remember is that we never add an S to the end of THEIR
when it is followed by a plural noun.
For example: Their books... this is correct.
Theirs books... this is wrong. It is not correct.
It does not matter if the noun, in this case books, is in plural,
the possessive adjective THEIR always remains the same with no s added to it.
THERE (t-h-e-r-e) means that place, not this place, not here.
It can also mean that something exists when it is combined with is or are.
Let's look at the first use.
THERE is the opposite of HERE.
That place, not this place.
For example:
Someone asks... Where are my keys?
and the other person says...
Your keys are there on the table.
The table is not here, it is there.
Another example:
I'm going to the beach this weekend.
I will relax when I am there.
Again, the beach is not here, it is there.
Another use of THERE is with IS and ARE. There is and there are means that something exists.
There is a book on the table.
Yes, it exists and it is on the table.
There are books on the table.
THERE IS is followed by a singular noun or uncountable noun.
THERE ARE is followed by a plural noun
like in the second sentence.
THERE IS + singular noun
THERE ARE + plural noun
Another couple of examples:
There is a guard next to the door. There is one guard so we use THERE IS.
There are many people in the room. There are because we're talking about multiple people.
They're, their and there in the same sentence.
Look at this example:
They're reading their books over there.
The first THEY'RE is a contraction of THEY ARE.
They are reading.
The second THEIR is a possessive adjective.
They are not my books, they are their books.
The third THERE shows the location of the people and the books.
Where are they reading their books?
They're not reading their books here, they're reading their books over there.
This is an example of they're, their and there in the same sentence.
Can you see the difference?
THEIR versus THEY'RE
How can I remember the difference between their and they're?
TIP 1. Can you replace THEIR with MY?
Look at this example: Their house is big.
Can we replace THEIR with MY and say... My house is big.
Yes, it sounds correct.
How about with... Their happy. Can we replace THEIR with MY and say...
my happy?
No, it sounds wrong.
It needs to be... They're happy or they are happy.
Tip 2: Can you replace THEY'RE with THEY ARE?
They're married.
Can we replace THEY'RE with THEY ARE and say...
They are married?
Yes, it sounds correct.
How about with this sentence... They're cars.
Can we replace THEY'RE with THEY ARE and say...
They are cars?
No, it sounds wrong. It needs to be THEIR cars.
Let's practice.
Complete the following sentences with they're, their or there.
Click pause if you need more time.
1. I need
their help.
2. Can you put the cake over
there?
3. I think
they're busy right now.
4.
They're happy with
their exam results.
5. They forgot to bring
their tickets.
6. I lived
there for three years.
7.
They're playing video games again.
8.
Their parents are sitting
there.
The difference between They're, Their and there is a common mistake
even for native speakers in written English
so don't worry if you find this difficult at the beginning.
It just takes practice.
I hope you found this lesson about the
difference between they're, their and there useful.
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