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Their vs. There vs. They're: The Terrible Trio

Published on January 15, 2024

The Three Jobs

  • Their = possessive (belonging to them)
  • There = location or existence (in that place, or “there is”)
  • They’re = contraction of “they are”

Their: Ownership

Use “their” when something belongs to a group:

  • “Their car is parked outside.” ✓
  • “The students submitted their essays.” ✓
  • “I borrowed their tools.” ✓

Think: belonging to them.

There: Place or Existence

Use “there” for locations or to introduce that something exists:

  • “The keys are over there.” ✓ (location)
  • “There are three options.” ✓ (existence)
  • “We went there last summer.” ✓ (place)
  • “There seems to be a problem.” ✓ (existence)

They’re: They Are

Use “they’re” only when you mean “they are”:

  • “They’re coming to dinner.” ✓ (they are)
  • “They’re the best team.” ✓ (they are)
  • “I think they’re ready.” ✓ (they are)

The Tests

For they’re: Can you expand it to “they are”?

  • “They’re happy” → “They are happy” ✓ → they’re

For their: Does it show possession?

  • “Their house” → Belongs to them → their

For there: Is it about place or existence?

  • “Put it there” → Location → there
  • “There is a problem” → Existence → there

Memory Tricks

  • There contains “here” (both are about place)
  • Their contains “heir” (someone who inherits—ownership)
  • They’re has an apostrophe (contractions always do)

Quick Reference

WordFunctionExample
TheirPossessionTheir opinion matters
TherePlace/existenceIt’s over there
They’reThey areThey’re almost done

Common Mistakes Fixed

Wrong: “Their going to the store.” Right: “They’re going to the store.”

Wrong: “Put your things over they’re.” Right: “Put your things over there.”

Wrong: “There team won.” Right: “Their team won.”

The Sentence Test

Try all three in a sentence:

“They’re putting their bags over there.”

  • They’re = they are putting
  • Their = the bags belong to them
  • There = in that location

Remember

  • Their = possession (belonging to them)
  • There = place (“here” is in there) or existence
  • They’re = they are (expandable contraction)

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