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Introduction to "leur" and "leurs"

Homophones are words that sound exactly the same when spoken but have different spellings and different grammatical roles. In this lesson, we will explore two very common French homophones: leur and leurs.

These two words are pronounced identically — both sound like the English word "their" — but one is singular and the other is plural. Confusing leur and leurs is a very common spelling mistake in French, even among native speakers!

1. "leur": The Invariable Possessive Adjective

"Leur" is a possessive adjective (like "their" in English). It is placed before a noun and indicates that something belongs to a group of people. In this role, leur does not change — it stays the same regardless of the gender of the noun that follows.

Usage:

• Placed directly before a noun
• Means "their" (belonging to them)
• Does not agree with the gender of the noun (unlike most French adjectives)
• Used when the noun that follows is singular

Examples with "leur":

• Les enfants ont perdu leur clé. (The children lost their key.)
• Ils ont vendu leur maison. (They sold their house.)
• Les élèves ont rendu leur devoir. (The students handed in their homework.)
• Mes parents ont fêté leur anniversaire de mariage. (My parents celebrated their wedding anniversary.)
• L'équipe a atteint leur objectif. (The team reached their goal.)

The Trick to Remember:

If the noun that follows leur is singular, keep "leur" without an -s.

• Les enfants ont perdu leur clé. → clé = singular ✔
• Ils ont vendu leur maison. → maison = singular ✔

2. "leurs": The Plural Possessive Adjective

"Leurs" is simply the plural form of the possessive adjective "leur". It is used when the noun that follows is plural. It also means "their", but it tells us that the possessed thing is plural.

Usage:

• Placed directly before a plural noun
• Means "their" (when the owned thing is plural)
• Always followed by a noun with a plural marker (-s, -x, etc.)

Examples with "leurs":

• Les enfants ont perdu leurs clés. (The children lost their keys.)
• Ils ont vendu leurs voitures. (They sold their cars.)
• Les élèves ont rendu leurs devoirs. (The students handed in their homework assignments.)
• Mes parents ont invité leurs amis. (My parents invited their friends.)
• Les équipes ont atteint leurs objectifs. (The teams reached their goals.)

The Trick to Remember:

If the noun that follows is plural, add an -s and write "leurs".

• Les enfants ont perdu leurs clés. → clés = plural ✔
• Ils ont vendu leurs voitures. → voitures = plural ✔

3. Comparison Table: "leur" and "leurs"

4. Comparative Examples in the Same Sentences

Here are pairs of sentences that show how the noun's number changes leur to leurs:

• Les parents ont vendu leur voiture. (The parents sold their car.)
  Les parents ont vendu leurs voitures. (The parents sold their cars.)
  (leur → voiture is singular / leurs → voitures is plural)
• Les élèves ont posé leur sac. (The students put down their bag.)
  Les élèves ont posé leurs sacs. (The students put down their bags.)
• Ils rendent visite à leur ami. (They are visiting their friend.)
  Ils rendent visite à leurs amis. (They are visiting their friends.)

5. Common Pitfalls and Traps

Pitfall #1: "leur" as an indirect object pronoun

"Leur" also exists as an indirect object pronoun meaning "to them". In this use, it is always placed before a verb and never takes an -s:

• Je leur ai parlé. (I spoke to them.) ✔ — pronoun, before a verb, no -s
• Il leur a donné un cadeau. (He gave them a gift.) ✔ — pronoun, before a verb, no -s

As a pronoun before a verb, "leur" never takes an -s — only as a possessive adjective before a plural noun does it become "leurs".

Pitfall #2: Both words follow "leur/leurs" with a noun

The key rule: leur/leurs as possessive adjectives are always followed by a noun. Check if that noun is singular → leur; plural → leurs.

• C'est leur ami. (He is their friend.) → ami = singular ✔
• Ce sont leurs amis. (They are their friends.) → amis = plural ✔

Final Tip

The difference between leur and leurs is very simple: look at the noun that follows!

• If the noun is singular: write "leur"
• If the noun is plural: write "leurs"
• If it is placed before a verb (pronoun = "to them"): always write "leur" (no -s)

Example:

• Ils ont vendu leur maison. (singular noun: maison) ✔
• Ils ont vendu leurs maisons. (plural noun: maisons) ✔
• Je leur ai téléphoné. (pronoun before verb: "I called them") ✔