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His, her, its, or their
Each one names the owner: his means he owns it, her means she does, its points to an object or a creature, and their points to them.
Quick rule
A man's? His. A woman's? Her. A thing's or an animal's? Its. A group's, or someone unnamed? Their.
Belonging to a man or boy: his car. It follows the owner, not the thing owned.
Belonging to a woman or girl: her bag. The same word is also the object form: I saw her.
Belonging to a thing, an animal, or a place: its color, its tail. No apostrophe.
Belonging to a group: their house. Also for one person when you don't say or know if it is a man or a woman.
How to choose
| Question | his | her | its | their |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Is the owner a man? | Yes | No | No | SometimesSometimes |
| Is the owner a woman? | No | Yes | No | SometimesSometimes |
| Is the owner a thing or an animal? | No | No | Yes | SometimesSometimes |
| Are there several owners? | No | No | No | Yes |
Why it trips people up
English possessives follow the owner, never the thing owned: her husband, his sister. The hard calls are its and their: its for things and animals, with no apostrophe, and their for groups or for one person whose gender isn't given.
How each one works
His
The owner is a man
Carlos lost his keys.
Plural thing: still his
My brother forgot his glasses.
Saying whose it is
Is that his phone or yours?
Her
The owner is a woman
Ana called her mom.
Even when what she has is male
Paula is visiting her brother in Cali.
Several of one woman's things
The teacher put her books on the desk.
Its
An animal
The dog wagged its tail.
A place
The city is famous for its food.
A thing
This phone is great, but its battery is weak.
Their
A group's
The kids are playing in their room.
Several owners, one thing
My neighbors sold their car.
One unnamed person
Someone left their umbrella here.
What comes next
his plus noun: a man's
Juan washed his car.
her plus noun: a woman's
Lucía can't find her phone.
its plus noun: a thing's or an animal's
The tree lost its leaves.
their plus noun: a group's
My parents love their new house.
Almost the same
Pedro took his dog for a walk.
The dog is Pedro's.
Pedro took her dog for a walk.
The dog belongs to a woman, not to Pedro.
Pedro took their dog for a walk.
The dog belongs to some other people.
In a conversation
- A:
Whose jacket is this?
- B:
It's Marco's. That's his favorite color.
- A:
And this bag? Is it your sister's?
- B:
Yes, it's her gym bag. Its zipper is broken.
- A:
The kids left their shoes here too.
Common mistakes
Wrong: I like this city because of his beaches.
Right: I like this city because of its beaches.
Cities, countries, and things take its, not his or her.
Wrong: My parents sold his car.
Right: My parents sold their car.
Two owners take their, even if there is just one car.
Memory trick
Ask whose, and answer with the owner: Juan's is his, Ana's is her, the dog's is its, the kids' is their.
It depends
- Singular their
- Someone forgot their bag is standard: Oxford calls singular their generally acceptable, while Cambridge marks it informal. His or her is the more formal option.
FAQ
Is their singular or plural?
Both. Their is plural for groups (their house), and also singular for one person whose gender you don't know or don't mention: Someone left their keys.
His or her, or their?
Their is now standard for one person of unknown gender: Each student brings their own lunch. His or her is still correct and sounds more formal.