They’re, Their, There: Understanding Homophones in English Grammar

There, Their, and They’re — See the Difference

These three words sound exactly the same when you say them. But look at how different they are in a sentence:

• The shop is over there. (A place — where is it?)
• The children forgot their lunch boxes. (It belongs to them.)
• They’re coming to the party tonight. (They are coming.)
• There are two cats in the garden. (Starting a sentence with “there is/are.”)

Did you see the pattern? One word is about a place. One word shows something belongs to people. And one word is short for “they are.”

When to Use There, Their, and They’re

Use there in two ways:

• To talk about a place: “The keys are over there.” (Where? Over there.)
• To start a sentence with “there is” or “there are”: “There is a problem.” (Something exists.)

Use their when something belongs to a group of people:

• “The students opened their books.” (The books belong to the students.)
• “My neighbours painted their house.” (The house belongs to the neighbours.)

Use they’re when you mean “they are”:

• “They’re late again.” (They are late again.)
• “I think they’re very kind.” (I think they are very kind.)

Easy way to remember: Try replacing the word with “they are.” If the sentence still makes sense, use they’re. If not, ask: does it show who owns something? Use their. Otherwise, it is there.

Real-Life Examples With There, Their, and They’re

• Put the bags down over there. (A place — where to put the bags.)
• There are three messages on your phone. (Something exists — three messages.)
• My friends changed their plans. (The plans belong to my friends.)
• They’re moving to a new flat next month. (They are moving.)
• The dogs are eating their food, and they’re making a mess over there. (All three in one sentence!)

You are doing great. Now let’s look at the mistakes many learners make.

Three Mistakes to Avoid With There, Their, and They’re

Even native speakers mix these up in writing — so if you get confused, you are not alone. This is one of the most common mistakes in English.

How to remember: Always try the “they are” test first. Read the sentence and replace the word with “they are.” If it sounds right, write they’re. If not, check: does something belong to someone? Use their. Everything else is there.

Other confusing word sets like this: who’s/whose, your/you’re, it’s/its.

Test Yourself: There, Their, or They’re?

Choose the correct answer for each sentence. Click Check to see if you are right.

Keep Going — You Are Building Something

You just learned the difference between there, their, and they’re. That is one of the trickiest word sets in English, and you will never mix them up again.

But here is another set that works the same way. Do you know the difference between who’s and whose? One is short for “who is” and the other shows who owns something — just like they’re and their. But which one is which?

Next lesson: Who’s vs Whose: Understanding Usage with Clear Examples

Source

Their, they’re and there