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Nivel
B1
Acento
3 acentos
Duración
12 min

their there they're: choose the right word

Can I use their to refer to only one person?

Their shows that something belongs to or connects with people. There indicates a location or introduces an existence statement with forms of be. They're is a shortened form of they are, where an apostrophe replaces the letter a.

Puntos clave

  • Remember three quick tests: their belongs to people, there names a place or starts an existence phrase, and they're always expands to they are.
  • Choose by meaning and structure: their shows possession, there can indicate a place or introduce existence, and they're means they are.
  • A following noun alone does not decide the spelling: 'their teachers' and 'they're teachers' have different structures and meanings.
Empezar la lección

Esta lección tiene 5 etapas. Puedes pausar en cualquier momento y continuar después.

An editorial illustration of a woman pointing to a location pin, flanked by a bag and shoes on the left and a couple on the right, representing their, there, and they're.

Etapa 1 de 5

Entender

Qué significa, cuándo usarlo y qué errores evitar.

Ejemplos

The artists brought their own brushes to the studio.

Por qué funciona: Their shows ownership before the noun brushes.

3 ejemplos más
  • Please place the extra chairs over there near the entrance.

    There indicates the physical location for the chairs.

  • The volunteers called to say they're ready to open the gallery.

    They're contracts they are before the adjective ready.

  • There is an extra table near the hallway.

    There is states that a table exists in that spot.

Leer la guía completa

8 pasos cortos, con una comprobación cada uno

Use their to show ownership before a noun

Their introduces something belonging or relating to people, animals, or things. It can also refer to one person who uses they, or whose gender is unknown or not relevant. Compare it with our or his to check its grammatical role, then check who the phrase refers to.

  • The committee members submitted their final project report.

    Por qué funciona: Their appears directly before the noun phrase final project report to indicate ownership.

  • The new tenants unpacked their luggage in the hallway.

    Por qué funciona: Their shows that the luggage belongs to the tenants.

Tu turno

Select the sentence that uses their correctly.

Mostrar la respuesta

Respuesta: The visitors left their umbrellas by the entrance.

Their is correct because umbrellas is a noun that belongs to the visitors.

Choose there to identify a place

Select there when you want to answer the question where. This word functions as an adverb of place, pointing toward a specific position, room, or direction away from the speaker. It acts as the opposite of here. If you can point your finger or replace the word with here, there is the form you need.

  • We can stack the folding tables there by the back wall.

    Por qué funciona: There specifies the physical location where the tables belong.

  • The gallery curator walked over there to inspect the lighting.

    Por qué funciona: Over there indicates direction and physical distance from the speaker.

Puedes practicar esto de nuevo en Suit or Suite: Choose the Right Word y There was or there were: how to choose.

Tu turno

Which sentence correctly points to a physical location?

Mostrar la respuesta

Respuesta: Leave your registration badge there on the desk.

There correctly answers where the badge should be left.

Use there is or there are to state existence

Use there at the start of clauses that introduce the presence or existence of people or items. In this grammatical structure, there pairs with a form of the verb be, such as is, are, was, or were. It does not refer to a distant location. Instead, it announces that something exists or remains available.

  • There is an extra roll of tape on the supply shelf.

    Por qué funciona: There is introduces the existence of a singular item on the shelf.

  • There are twelve participants enrolled in the afternoon class.

    Por qué funciona: There are states the presence of multiple participants.

Tu turno

Choose the correct phrase to complete: '___ several empty seats in row four.'

Mostrar la respuesta

Respuesta: There are

There are introduces the existence of plural seats.

Substitute they are to confirm they're

They're stands for they are, with an apostrophe marking the omitted a. Try the full words in the sentence. The possessive word their and the place word there have no apostrophe. This rule concerns these three spellings; possessive nouns follow other rules.

  • The technicians called to explain that they're running late.

    Por qué funciona: Expanding the contraction gives they are running late, which makes complete sense.

  • If the musicians arrive soon, they're likely to finish rehearsal early.

    Por qué funciona: They're stands for they are before the adjective likely.

Tu turno

Select the sentence where they're is used correctly.

Mostrar la respuesta

Respuesta: They're painting the main hallway this morning.

The sentence expands naturally to They are painting the main hallway this morning.

Inspect the next word for grammatical clues

Looking at the word immediately following the blank often reveals the correct form quickly. A noun or descriptive adjective followed by a noun strongly suggests their. A verb with an ing ending or an adjective describing people usually pairs with they're. Prepositions or standalone sentence endings often follow the location word there.

  • The staff gathered their materials before the session started.

    Por qué funciona: The noun materials immediately follows their.

  • The speakers confirmed they're eager to answer questions.

    Por qué funciona: The adjective eager describes the speakers and follows the contraction they're.

Tu turno

Which form belongs in the sentence: 'The coordinators reviewed ___ schedule'?

Mostrar la respuesta

Respuesta: their

The following word schedule is a noun, indicating ownership.

Distinguish identical sounds during listening

Because their, there, and they're sound identical in natural English speech, ear training requires analyzing sentence structure rather than pronunciation. Native speakers pronounce all three words with the exact same phonetic pattern. When listening to a lecture or dialogue, notice whether the speaker attaches a noun of possession or describes an ongoing action.

  • I heard that they're planning a reception.

    Por qué funciona: Even though the sound is identical, the following verb planning indicates they are.

  • The supervisors stored their documents inside the cabinet.

    Por qué funciona: The sound links directly to the noun documents, confirming the possessive form.

Tu turno

When taking notes from speech, how do you decide which spelling to write?

Mostrar la respuesta

Respuesta: Analyze whether the sentence structure requires possession, location, or a verb.

Because pronunciation is identical, grammatical context provides the only reliable clue.

Spot automatic keyboard slips before sending

It's easy to type the wrong spelling when you're writing quickly. Before you send a message, check each use of their, there, and they're against the sentence's meaning. This can help you catch a spelling that looks familiar but doesn't fit.

  • Please review their comments on the draft proposal.

    Por qué funciona: Rushing writers often mistype there comments, but comments requires possessive their.

  • The files remain over there on the shared shelf.

    Por qué funciona: Location requires there, not the possessive spelling their.

Tu turno

Which sentence has been corrected to remove a common typing slip?

Mostrar la respuesta

Respuesta: The clients sent their feedback by noon.

Feedback is a noun belonging to the clients, requiring their.

Run a systematic replacement check in your draft

To verify your choices reliably, apply a simple two-step editing routine. First, expand every instance to they are. If the sentence makes sense, keep they're. If it fails, check whether the sentence answers where or introduces existence. If so, choose there. If neither test applies and a noun follows, choose their.

  • They're confident that their office will remain there.

    Por qué funciona: Testing each word: they are confident (they're), our office (their), in that place (there).

  • There is no doubt that their team worked hard.

    Por qué funciona: There is introduces existence, while their specifies the team.

Tu turno

What is the most reliable first step when checking a sentence that contains they're?

Mostrar la respuesta

Respuesta: Expand the word to they are to see if the sentence remains grammatically sound.

The expansion test quickly confirms or rules out the contraction.

Uso natural

Cómo se usa en realidad "their"

Neutro Funciona en casi cualquier situación, en el trabajo o con amigos.

Palabras con las que suele combinarse

  • their ownThe children each have their own room.
  • their belongingsPassengers should check their belongings before leaving the train.
  • their namesThe travelers wrote their names on the form.
  • their wayThe visitors lost their way near the station.

Preguntas sobre «their there they're: choose the right word»

Can I use their to refer to only one person?

Yes. In modern English, their is widely used as a singular pronoun when the gender of a person is unknown or when referring to an unspecified individual. This avoids awkward phrasing like his or her while remaining grammatically accepted in both professional and casual contexts.

Every visitor should keep their badge visible at all times.

Somebody left their notebook in the conference hall.

How do I know whether to use there is or they're?

There is introduces something that exists. They're means they are. They may refer to several people or things, or to one person. Even for one person, they takes are, not is.

There is a fresh pot of coffee in the break room.

They're enjoying a coffee break after the morning presentation.

Why do spellcheckers sometimes miss errors with their, there, and they're?

Spellcheckers often miss these mistakes because all three spellings are legitimate English words. Unless the software conducts deep grammar analysis, it sees a correctly spelled word and accepts it. Reading your text aloud while expanding contractions helps you catch errors that software overlooks.

The software missed the error in 'Their are three files'; the writer meant 'There are three files'.

Can their or they're ever appear at the very end of a sentence?

There can easily end a sentence because it specifies a location. They're rarely ends a sentence in standard English because contractions with subject pronouns require a predicate. Their never ends a sentence because it must precede a noun. If you need a possessive pronoun at the end of a sentence, use theirs instead.

We placed the spare chairs over there.

The backpacks on the bench are theirs.

Antes de irte

Recuerda esto

Remember three quick tests: their belongs to people, there names a place or starts an existence phrase, and they're always expands to they are.

Etapa 2 de 5

Escuchar

Escúchalo en oraciones reales, de cortas a largas, y escribe lo que oyes.

Elige la voz con la que practicarás

0 de 4 completados

Audio 1 de 4 2 s A supervisor shows a volunteer where spare furniture is available.

Escucha y escribe lo que oyes. Puedes volver a reproducir el audio las veces que necesites.

Las mayúsculas y la puntuación no afectan tu puntuación.

Audio 2 de 4 3 s A guide directs gallery guests toward the exhibition room.

Escucha y escribe lo que oyes. Puedes volver a reproducir el audio las veces que necesites.

Las mayúsculas y la puntuación no afectan tu puntuación.

Prueba con una grabación más larga. Escúchala una vez y vuelve a escuchar la parte que no entendiste.

Audio 3 de 4 6 s A concert organizer explains why the performers came ahead of schedule.

Escucha y escribe lo que oyes. Puedes volver a reproducir el audio las veces que necesites.

Las mayúsculas y la puntuación no afectan tu puntuación.

Esta grabación es más larga. Sigue la instrucción que aparece arriba del campo de respuesta.

Audio 4 de 4 14 s An art center host describes how painters utilize the communal studio space.

Escucha y escribe las palabras que faltan. El resto del texto ya está ahí.

Many local painters bring their own whenever they're eager to work in our community hall. If you look over there, you can see wooden easels along each There are spacious tables near our sunny where everyone can organize supplies

Etapa 3 de 5

Hablar

Dilo con la persona que habla y luego úsalo en tu propia respuesta.

Shadowing

Dilo al mismo tiempo que quien habla

Reproduce la frase despacio y luego habla al mismo tiempo que la voz. Imita el ritmo, no solo las palabras.

Etapa 4 de 5

Escribir

Escribe tu propia respuesta

Write an email note to two coworkers explaining where the workshop art supplies are located and reminding them to collect their name badges because they're starting in ten minutes. Write between 30 and 50 words.

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