Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| leur | /lœʁ/ | singular |
| leurs | /lœʁ/ /lœʁ.z‿/ |
plural |
The term is used to indicate that something belongs to a group of people (them).
Which one should you use?
The choice between the two forms depends entirely on the number of items being possessed, rather than how many people own them. Use leur when the thing being possessed is singular and leurs when the things being possessed are plural.
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to a single object possessed by a group, use the singular form leur (for example, leur mère). When referring to multiple objects possessed by a group, use the plural form leurs (for example, leurs maisons or leurs voitures).
How do you pronounce it?
/lœʁ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly add an 's' to leur because the owners are plural. However, you should only add the 's' to make it leurs if the object being possessed is plural.
Did you know?
- While leur and leurs are possessives, leur can also be used as an indirect object pronoun meaning 'to them'. In this specific role, it never takes an 's' regardless of how many people are being addressed.
- The word leur is a linguistic rebel because it refuses to change for gender. Unlike many French possessives that must agree with the noun, leur and leurs remain the same whether the owned object is masculine or feminine.
- The singular form leur actually comes from the Latin word 'illorum', which is the genitive plural of 'ille'. This means the word literally contains a piece of ancient Latin history within its structure.
Examples in context
- Es-tu leur mère ?Are you their mother?This sentence is useful for practicing the singular form leur.Tatoeba #3641914 by sacredceltic, translation #2647225 by CK
- C'est leur chien ?It's their dog?This sentence shows how to use the singular form leur.Tatoeba #1117716 by nimfeo, translation #6692669 by Eccles17
- Leur fils a grandi.Their son grew bigger.This sentence demonstrates the use of the singular form leur.Tatoeba #3660757 by sacredceltic, translation #305250 by CK
- Leur maisonTheir house
- Leur voitureTheir car
- Leurs enfantsTheir children
- Leurs projetsTheir projects
- Leur chien aboie souvent.Their dog barks often.
- J'aime beaucoup leur nouvelle maison.I really like their new house.
- Leurs enfants sont très intelligents.Their children are very smart.
- 2036 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are discussing their neighbors.
- LéaOù est leur chat ?Where is their cat?
- LucasIl est dans leur jardin.It is in their garden.
- LéaLucas, tu as vu leur maison ?Lucas, did you see their house?
- LucasOui, elle est très belle.Yes, it is very beautiful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “their” translations and entries leur, leurs, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries leur, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
