Cool MateOur vs Their
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
Our
High-frequency chunkA1determiner
Their
High-frequency chunkA1determiner
| Our | Their | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 /["/ɑː(r)//ˈaʊə(r)/"]/🇺🇸 /["/ɑːr//ˈaʊər/"]/ | 🇬🇧 /["/ðeə(r)/"]/🇺🇸 /["/ðer/"]/ |
| Meaning | belonging to us | belonging to them |
| Example | our daughter/dog/house | Their parties are always fun. |
| Register | Neutral | Neutral |
| How common | High-frequency chunk | High-frequency chunk |
| CEFR level | A1 | A1 |
| Part of speech | determiner | determiner |
| Collocations | our family, our team, our country | their belongings, their house, their opinions, their responsibilities, their choice |
| Antonyms | your, their, my | our, my, his, her |
| Common mistakes | Confused with 'are' in some spoken contexts., Omitting it in contractions like 'we're' instead of 'we are'. | 'There' used instead of 'their'., Confusing 'their' with 'they're' (they are)., Using 'their' with singular nouns that aren’t non-binary. |
| Usage notes | Used to show that something belongs to a group that includes the speaker. It's appropriate in most contexts, both spoken and written. Avoid using in very formal writing where other possessive forms might be preferred. | Use 'their' to show possession by a group of people. Avoid using 'their' for singular nouns, except in non-binary contexts. It's common in both spoken and written English. |
Frequently asked questions: Our vs Their
What's the difference between Our and Their?
Our: belonging to us Their: belonging to them
Are Our and Their the same CEFR level?
Our: A1, Their: A1 on the CEFR scale.
What part of speech are Our and Their?
Our: determiner, Their: determiner.
Can you show an example of each?
Our: our daughter/dog/house Their: Their parties are always fun.
Can I use Our and Their interchangeably?
Not always. Our and Their are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.