Hey there! Have you ever had trouble knowing which “there” to use? Read below to learn how!
Their
“Their” is used when we are talking about something that belongs to 2 or more people.
ex: “Tell your students to bring their books tomorrow!” “Their” books means the students’ books!
There
“There” is used when we are talking about a place or a direction.
ex: “The post office is over there. —>” In this sentence, “there” is talking about the direction someone is pointing to.
ex: “Oh! Tell me about Hawaii! I have never been there.” In this sentence, “there” is referring to Hawaii. (I have never been there/ I have never been to Hawaii). It sounds silly to saw Hawaii twice, so in this case,we can say “there” instead!
They’re
This “they’re” is a contraction. This means that it is actually two words combined into one. Do you know which words? They’re is a combination of They and Are.
We use “they’re” when we are talking about 2 or more people doing something.
ex: “Did you hear about Abdullah and Sayako? They’re getting married!!” In this sentence, “they’re” is talking about Abdullah and Sayako. While “they are getting married” is definitely perfect English, “they’re getting married” sounds more natural.
Now you know the differences between their, there and they’re!
This type of grammar problem is very common, but very important to learn – especially in a business situation. Want to learn business English? Visit ECLA today!