There Their They're - A Complete Guide

Short answer: The main difference among "there their they're" is that there is an adverb of place; their is the possessive adjective or determiner of the pronoun they; they're is the contracted form of "they are". 

But wait a bit. There're many situations where you'll certainly get confused while using the above-mentioned three words. Then what should you do? You should, but rather must go through the entire article to learn the words there, their and they're with example sentences, clear explanations and helpful comparisons. 

Let's begin with the basic definitions of the three words and comprehend them all with the help of easy-to-understand examples.

Definition and Uses of There Their They're

The words, there, their and they're sound the same but have different meanings, origins and spellings as you can see the case. Each and every word functions differently in a sentence. Learn what they mean and how they're used in English.

There as Adverb of Place

There is used as an adverb of place in a sentence; that is, it tells us where some action takes place or where someone or something is.

Examples:

a. The students are sitting there. 

b. I'll be there within five minutes. 

c. Why did you go there?

Also read: Adverbs

Their as Possessive Case of They

Their is used as the possessive form of the pronoun they; that is, it tells us that something belongs to them or they own something. 

Examples: 

a. They are teaching their children. 

b. This is their company. 

c. They are struggling for their livelihood. 

They're as Contraction of They are

They're is used as the contraction of "they are"; that is, it is the contracted form of the subject pronoun they and the verb are. 

Examples: 

a. They're busy now. 

b. They're going to attend the class. 

c. They're encouraged to do it. 

Also read: What are contractions in grammar?

Now that you've understood the basic definitions of the words, it's time that you compare them so that you can clearly differentiate among them. Look below how they're compared. 

Comparing There Their They're

Comparison is the best way of understanding two or more similar-sounding words. Let's compare these three words and understand how they are different. 

Their vs They're

Their is the possessive form of the pronoun they, and it's used usually for the third person plural pronoun to show possession, whereas they're is the contraction of "they are.", and it's usually used in spoken English. 

Look at and compare the below-given examples:

a. Their bags are here. 

b. They're going to the market. 

Note:- The word their is also used for the indefinite singular pronouns such as somebody, everyone, someone, etc. 

Their vs There 

Their is the possessive form of the pronoun they, and it's used usually for the third person plural pronoun to show possession, whereas there is an adverb of place, and it's used to refer to a venue or place. 

Look at and compare the below-given examples:

a. Their children are playing. 

b. They went to India and stayed there for two years. 

There vs They're   

there is an adverb of place, and it's used to refer to a venue or place, whereas they're is the contraction of "they are." 

Compare the following examples:

a. The students are playing there. 

b. They're going to the market. 

After the comparison, you've come to know how they're used differently in different situations, now learn how they are exactly different from one another.

Difference Between There Their They're

The main difference among these three words is of the grammatical functions they render in sentences. Simply put, these three words belong to different grammatical categories. Understand these different grammatical categories to which these three words belong. 

There functions as an adverb 

Out of many grammatical categories, one is adverb. The word there belongs to this grammatical category; that is, the word there is an adverb which is used to refer to a venue or place. 

Their functions as a possessive adjective 

The word their functions as a possessive adjective or determiner; that is, the word their is used to show possession. So, their belongs to the grammatical category possessive adjective or determiner.  

They're functions as a contraction 

The contraction they're is a combination of two words they and are. They belongs to the grammatical category, pronoun and are belongs to grammatical category, verb. 

Sentences with There, Their and They're

More Example Sentences with There

1. We will go to London and stay there for 3 years. 

2. They went to hometowns and stayed there for five days.

3. Wait. I'll be there within 10 minutes. 

4. Why did you go there yesterday. 

5. Go to the classroom now. I'll reach there within five minutes. 

More Example Sentences with Their 

1. This is their house. 

2. That's their company. 

3. Their books are here. 

4. Their names appeared in the list. 

5. Their father died last year. 

More Example Sentences with They're 

1. They're playing in the ground. 

2. They're going to have lunch. 

3. They're free now. 

4. They're my friends. 

5. They're my relatives. 

FAQs - There Their They're

They're meaning and definition

They're is a combination of two words, they and are. They is a subject pronoun and are belongs to the category of verb. So, They're is used as a contraction of "they are." Learn more in the article.

Difference between their and they're

The main difference between their and they're is that their is the possessive form of the pronoun they and is used to show possession, whereas they're is the contraction of "they are". Learn more in the article.