Their vs There vs They're
Their is a possessive determiner meaning 'belonging to them': 'their car.' There points to a place or introduces existence: 'over there', 'there is a problem.' They're is a contraction of 'they are': 'They're late.' Test each word: swap in 'they are' for they're, check for possession for their, and check for location for there.
The rule
Their vs there vs they're at a glance
Their
There
- Function
- Possessive determiner, belonging to them
- Refers to a place, or introduces existence (there is/are)
- Apostrophe
- Never has an apostrophe
- Never has an apostrophe
- Followed by
- A noun: their house, their plan, their children
- A verb (there is/are/was) or a location: over there, sit there
- Expansion test ('they are')
- Fails, cannot mean 'they are'
- Fails, cannot mean 'they are'
- Example
- Their flight was delayed.
- There was a delay at the gate.
- The third word: they're
- Not their if it means 'they are', that's they're
- Not there if it means 'they are', that's they're
- Memory trick
- Their has 'heir' inside it, an heir owns things
- There contains 'here', both are places
Which one do I need?
Their, there or they're?
Every answer at a glance
they're
They're is short for 'they are'. If the full form fits, the contraction is right; in a formal essay, write 'they are'.
My parents say they're moving to the coast when they retire.
their
Their means 'belonging to them', like my and his, and never takes an apostrophe. It sits before the noun it owns.
Many students pay for their studies with part-time jobs.
there
There points to a place, like here. It even has 'here' inside it: over there, sit there, go there.
The new library is near the station, and you can study there until ten.
there
There is / there are introduces something new. Never write 'their is', and never swap there for it: there are three reasons.
There are several benefits to learning a language as a child.
How to use their vs there vs they're
What's the difference between their, there, and they're?
These three words sound identical but do three completely different jobs. Their is a possessive determiner meaning 'belonging to them', and it always sits before a noun: their house, their decision, their neighbours. There points to a place ('put it there', 'I've never been there') or introduces existence in the pattern 'there is/are/was/were'.
They're is always a contraction of 'they are', nothing more. If a sentence can be rephrased with 'they are' and still make sense, it needs they're; otherwise it needs one of the other two.
- The tourists left their luggage at the hotel.possession, belongs to the tourists
- There is a beautiful park near the river.introduces existence
- They're planning to visit Cape Town next spring.= they are planning
How do you test which of the three you need?
Run three quick checks in order. First, try 'they are', if it fits, use they're. Second, check whether the word shows ownership, usually followed directly by a noun, if so, use their. Third, if the word points to a place or starts a sentence about existence, use there.
Their is easy to remember because it contains the word 'heir', someone who owns an inheritance. There is easy to remember because it contains 'here', both words describe location.
- There house is at the end of the street.possession, → Their house is at the end of the street
- They're car broke down on the motorway.possession, → Their car broke down
- Their is a strong argument for renewable energy.introduces existence, → There is a strong argument
Using 'there is/are' to introduce new information
'There is' and 'there are' are among the most useful structures in spoken and written English for introducing new information: 'There are three main reasons for this trend.' Learners sometimes replace 'there' with 'it' in this pattern, which breaks the meaning.
Once you have introduced something with 'there is/are', later sentences usually refer back to it with 'it' or 'they' (not 'there' again) which is a natural way to avoid repetition.
- There are several benefits to studying abroad.introduces new information
- It are several benefits to studying abroad.→ There are several benefits
- There are two cafés on this street; they're both excellent.'there' introduces, 'they're' refers back
Common mistakes with their vs there vs they're
Find what is wrong in each one, then open it to check.
1The students forgot they're homework at home.What's wrong? Show the fix
The students forgot their homework at home.
'Homework' belongs to the students, so the possessive their is needed, not the contraction they're.
2Their going to open a new branch in Manchester.What's wrong? Show the fix
They're going to open a new branch in Manchester.
This expands to 'they are going to open', so the contraction they're is correct.
3Put the boxes over their, please.What's wrong? Show the fix
Put the boxes over there, please.
This refers to a location, so the place word there is required, not the possessive their.
4There are picking us up from the station.What's wrong? Show the fix
They're picking us up from the station.
This expands to 'they are picking us up', so the contraction they're is needed, not there.
Practise
Write your own
Write a sentence that uses their or there, about you, your studies or your town.
Their vs There vs They're in IELTS
Speaking
- 'There is/are' is one of the most natural ways to open an answer with an opinion: 'There are several reasons why I think that.' Practising it helps you avoid hesitating at the start of longer Part 3 answers.
- They're flows naturally in fluent speech: 'They're currently renovating my local library' sounds far more native than the fuller, stiffer 'They are currently renovating'.
Writing
- In Task 2, 'there is/are' is a reliable way to introduce a claim before supporting it: 'There is growing evidence that remote work improves productivity.' It signals a clear topic sentence.
- Because their, there, and they're are pronounced identically, spellcheck often misses the wrong one; proofread Task 1 and Task 2 specifically for this trio, since it is one of the most common Band 5 to 6 accuracy errors.