In grammatical terms, their is a possessive determiner, just like my, your, his, her, its and our. It indicates that what is described in the following noun phrase belongs to, or is in some other way associated with, the person or thing to which the possessive determiner refers. Just as my car is a car that belongs to me, so their house is a house that belongs to them.
There is a word with many uses. In your example, There are lots of skyscrapers in Dubai, it is what is sometimes called a ‘dummy subject’. It would be grammatical to say Lots of skyscrapers are in Dubai, but, generally, we don’t. We use there are (or there is) where French uses il est or il y a, German uses es ist, es sind or es gibt and Spanish uses hay.
Answer from Barrie England on Stack ExchangeGrammarly
grammarly.com › blog › commonly-confused-words › there-their-theyre
“There” vs. “Their” vs. “They’re”: What’s the Difference? | Grammarly
June 23, 2023 - Although their is generally used in a plural form, it is also used as a gender-neutral personal pronoun in place of his or her. Someone left their purse on the subway. Last but not least, they’re is a contraction that means “they are.” This makes it a little easier to distinguish from its fellow homonyms, as you can always check if it’s the right word by stretching out the contraction into its full form and asking whether it still makes sense.
Merriam-Webster
merriam-webster.com › grammar & usage › commonly confused › how to use they're, there, and their | merriam-webster
How to Use They're, There, and Their | Merriam-Webster
March 11, 2025 - While they're not an easy group of words, with practice you can master their distinctions. There is about location. It has the word here in it, which is helpful, and it often answers the question “where?” · There it is. Put it there. Stay there. We'll be there soon. It's about location in the more abstract sense too: There you go. There is where we disagree. Friends who are always there for you. It’s also the one to use in a question or statement that begins with “Is there”/”Are there” or “There is”/”There are.”
Use of they’re and their
Can you give a specific example where you think they're and their are interchangeable? Because I've certainly never seen one that I can think of. More on reddit.com
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December 15, 2021word usage - When should I use "there" and "their"? - English Language Learners Stack Exchange
Stack Exchange network consists ... build their careers. Visit Stack Exchange ... Bring the best of human thought and AI automation together at your work. Explore Stack Internal ... I think it's important that you recognize the part of speech they belong to. Once that's sorted, really, you can't go wrong. ... How has this question got 14 votes? It's a pretty mediocre question (if I don't use the term ... More on ell.stackexchange.com
Use of "Their" in a sentence?
Third person singular use of “they” and “their” is an old feature of English found in sources like Shakespeare and the King James Bible, and also in Middle English sources. Prescriptivists will tell you it’s wrong, just like they will tell you it’s wrong to end a sentence with a preposition, but those are external rules being forced in where they never existed in the first place. So despite some people insisting it’s plural, it is equally valid in the place of “his” or “her” where the gender is unknown or unimportant. More on reddit.com
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March 14, 2019When Floowandereeze use their effects to normal summon another card, is the effect of the card that was summoned on a new chain or is it still the same chain as the Floowandereeze?
The "If this card is Normal Summoned:" effects are Trigger effects, so they would activate on the next Chain.
More on reddit.com 2
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September 8, 2020When should you use there, their, and they’re?
If you are introducing a sentence or talking about a certain location, the correct word is there. If you are describing a noun that is owned by someone, the correct word is their, which is the third-person possessive form of they. Lastly, if you want to make the two words they and are into one contraction, they’re is a simpler, shorter version.
grammarly.com
grammarly.com › blog › commonly-confused-words › there-their-theyre
“There” vs. “Their” vs. “They’re”: What’s the ...
How do you use the word their in a sentence?
"Their" is the homonym that refers directly to a person and their possessions, unlike "there" which specifies location. "Their" can be used in ways such as the following sentences suggest: · Their cat is adorable. · I'm not sure what their problem is with me. · Where did you put their passports?
study.com
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There, Their & They're | Differences & Uses - Lesson | Study.com
Example of there, their, and they’re
There isn’t enough room for the suitcases.
Their suitcases are too big.
They’re leaving the suitcases at home.
grammarly.com
grammarly.com › blog › commonly-confused-words › there-their-theyre
“There” vs. “Their” vs. “They’re”: What’s the ...
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There Their and They're Homophones - YouTube
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There, Their, They're English Grammar Lesson | What's the Difference?
Scribbr
scribbr.com › home › there, their, they’re | meaning, examples & difference
There, Their, They’re | Meaning, Examples & Difference
September 11, 2023 - The students raise their hands when they want to ask questions. “Their” is the possessive form of the third-person plural “they.” It means “belonging to them.” · We can drive there if you like, but it would be faster to fly.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/grammar › use of they’re and their
r/grammar on Reddit: Use of they’re and their
December 15, 2021 -
Is there any situation where, if it makes grammatical sense to say ‘they are’ you should use ‘their’ instead of ‘they’re’.
Eg when talking about objects belonging to things.
I’ve always believed that if ‘they are’ makes sense in a position where some would use either there/their/they’re then the correct choice is ‘they’re’. Is this incorrect?
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Can you give a specific example where you think they're and their are interchangeable? Because I've certainly never seen one that I can think of.
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They're going to be late for the movie. Their movie will be ruined. They are going to be late for the movie. Their movie will be ruined. You are contracting they and are.
EF English Live
englishlive.ef.com › en › blog › language-lab › how-to-use-their-theyre-and-there
We explain: How to use Their, They’re and There | EF English Live
The three words are very common and are used extensively in everyday conversation. Whenever you hear one of the homophones used, pay attention to the context – if they are referring to a place (there), a possession (their), or using a contraction (they’re).
MLA Style Center
style.mla.org › home › their, there, and they’re: learn the difference
Their, There, and They're: Learn the Difference | MLA Style Center
January 11, 2025 - For example, the sentence “They’re ready for the exam” is equally correct as “They are ready for the exam.” However, the sentence “I visited Cary and Sam yesterday at they’re new house” doesn’t make grammatical sense when you insert they are: “I visited Cary and Sam at they are new house.” In that sentence, you are referring to Cary and Sam’s house, so you know that the adjective their is the correct word to use in that sentence.
Paperpal
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There, Their, They're: How Are They Different? | Paperpal
August 28, 2025 - Too and to. Week and weak. Your and you’re. And now there, their, they’re. When spoken aloud, these word pairs sound exactly alike, but they are spelled differently and mean different things, making them a reason for confusion while writing. There, their, there are used very commonly and ...
Quora
quora.com › When-do-you-use-their-or-its
When do you use “their” or “its”? - Quora
Answer (1 of 13): The formal grammatical rule is to use “their” as the possessive form of “they”, referring to a plural number of people or sometimes animals. “Its” is the possessive form of “it”, referring to a singular neuter ...
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In grammatical terms, their is a possessive determiner, just like my, your, his, her, its and our. It indicates that what is described in the following noun phrase belongs to, or is in some other way associated with, the person or thing to which the possessive determiner refers. Just as my car is a car that belongs to me, so their house is a house that belongs to them.
There is a word with many uses. In your example, There are lots of skyscrapers in Dubai, it is what is sometimes called a ‘dummy subject’. It would be grammatical to say Lots of skyscrapers are in Dubai, but, generally, we don’t. We use there are (or there is) where French uses il est or il y a, German uses es ist, es sind or es gibt and Spanish uses hay.
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Their means belonging to them, while there is a place or a "dummy subject." In your examples, you would say:
Their house is beautiful.
There are lots of skyscrapers in Dubai.
In the second example, there is a "dummy subject." In the following example, it is a place:
They are in the skyscraper over there.
Study.com
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There, Their & They're | Differences & Uses - Lesson | Study.com
July 27, 2022 - It does not refer to a location, but rather ownership of an object. Most often, their replaces a pronoun in a sentence. It is used when there is a group of two or more people being spoken about, but more uncommonly it may refer to just one person.
Quora
quora.com › When-do-you-use-theyre-or-their
When do you use “they're” or “their”? - Quora
Answer (1 of 18): They're is the contraction for they are. Example: They're going to the store. I have to admit, they're scary looking. Their is who it belongs to. Example: Their coats were hanging on the hooks. If you ask them again, their story will change. 1. If you can replace it with they ...
YourDictionary
yourdictionary.com › vocabulary › versus › meanings › rules for using there, their and they're
Rules for Using There, Their and They're | YourDictionary
November 18, 2020 - The word there may also be used as a pronoun to introduce a noun or a phrase. ... There are too many people on this elevator. ... The word their primarily works as a possessive adjective, to describe something that belongs to more than one person.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/grammar › use of "their" in a sentence?
r/grammar on Reddit: Use of "Their" in a sentence?
March 14, 2019 -
Is it acceptable to use the word "their" in a sentence such as this one:
"An individual encounters conflicts frequently in their life."
I understand that you can use "his or her" in place of "their", but I encounter these situations constantly and the replacement seems very awkward. The sentence sounds like its right to me, but I am unsure whether it is grammatically correct. Can this issue be clarified?
Top answer 1 of 2
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Third person singular use of “they” and “their” is an old feature of English found in sources like Shakespeare and the King James Bible, and also in Middle English sources. Prescriptivists will tell you it’s wrong, just like they will tell you it’s wrong to end a sentence with a preposition, but those are external rules being forced in where they never existed in the first place. So despite some people insisting it’s plural, it is equally valid in the place of “his” or “her” where the gender is unknown or unimportant.
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"Their" is a possessive pronoun which describes something that belongs to "them". It is usually followed by a noun. Your sentence is abstract, as it seems it is not about any particular person - so you can't use a gendered pronoun. The word "their" is totally appropriate in this context. Examples: "All of those kids with their silly games and costumes really made my day." "We need to find out their reasons for joining the protest." Your sentence is a little awkward though. I would suggest: "Individuals encounter conflict frequently in their lives." Maybe change out "individuals" for "people" or "everyone". "Everyone encounters conflict frequently in their lives." "People encounter conflict frequently in their lives."
QuillBot
quillbot.com › home › there, their, they’re | difference, meaning & examples
There, Their, They’re | Difference, Meaning & Examples
June 18, 2024 - “There” is often used with “is”/“are” to state that something exists; “their” is a possessive adjective; “they’re” is short for “they are.”
LivingWriter
livingwriter.com › blog › when-to-use-their-vs-there-vs-theyre-grammar-guide
When To Use Their Vs. There Vs. They're - Grammar Guide - LivingWriter Writing Blog
September 29, 2024 - Contraction for “They Are”: Use “they’re” whenever it can be replaced with “they are” and the sentence still makes sense. This is the key trick to remember with “they’re.” · Example: “They’re finally leaving for their trip tomorrow!” (Can be replaced with “They are” – “They are finally leaving for their trip tomorrow!”)
Quora
quora.com › Why-do-people-use-the-word-their-instead-of-there
Why do people use the word 'their' instead of 'there'? - Quora
Answer (1 of 9): They are two different words and have two different meanings. The fact that they sound the same same is the confusion for some people. ‘Their’ is a possessive adjective. so phrases like ‘their books’, ‘their clothes’, ‘their choices’, are all correct.
Merriam-Webster
merriam-webster.com › dictionary › their
THEIR Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
November 4, 2025 - The meaning of THEIR is of or relating to them or themselves especially as possessors, agents, or objects of an action. How to use their in a sentence. There vs. They're vs. Their Can they, their, theirs, them, themself, and themselves be used ...
EditorNinja
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There, Their, and They’re: The Difference and When to Use Each - EditorNinja
May 15, 2024 - This rule may seem tricky, but here’s a little mnemonic device for remembering this one: “their” is the only there/their/they’re that has an “i” in it, and “I” is also a kind of pronoun. “They’re” is simply a contraction of the words “they are.” Imagine that little apostrophe represents an a. ... If you’re unsure whether to use “they’re,” try replacing the word with “they are.” If the sentence sounds correct, then “they’re” is the right choice.
Quora
quora.com › Can-you-provide-some-examples-of-when-to-use-their-instead-of-they-are
Can you provide some examples of when to use 'their' instead of 'they are'? - Quora
Answer (1 of 8): Their isn't necessary. I'm talking about my people. I know they're coming to get me right? I can't get these stupid bitches to come out of their fox holes. They pay for nothing. They cause everything. It's like an infestation in life, needing extermination. They are mocking my pe...
Instructional Solutions
instructionalsolutions.com › blog › there-their-theyre
There, Their, They’re
October 4, 2024 - They’re (they are) going to have to work some late nights to get the project done on time. Caution: You should NOT use this contraction at the end of a sentence. Example: We don’t know where they are (NOT they’re). Homophones are tricky because you can’t “hear” the difference when someone is speaking, but the difference is noticeable in writing and can impact how people view your writing. ... There is no way I could anticipate their plan or that they’re really not cooperative.