Published April 4, 2025 • Updated June 22, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Leur — Meaning and Pronunciation
Leur is a French word that can mean “their,” “them,” or “theirs” depending on the context. As a possessive adjective, leur or leurs means “their.” As an indirect object pronoun, leur means “them.” And as a possessive pronoun, le leur, la leur, and les leurs mean “theirs.”
IPA pronunciation of leur is /lœʁ/, which sounds like “luhr”.
Example Sentences
1. Possessive adjective = their
Leur is a possessive adjective meaning “their”.
➞ leur + singular noun = their + singular noun
➞ leurs + plural noun = their + plural noun
J’aime leur chien mais je n’aime pas leurs chats.
I like their dog but I don’t like their cats.
👉 French possessive adjectives »
2. Indirect object pronoun = them
Leur is an indirect object pronoun meaning “them”. For this usage, adding an -s would be wrong. There is one form: leur. This is a common mistake among students.
Verb: Téléphoner à quelqu’un = to call somebody
➞ Je leur téléphone = I call them (present tense)
➞ Je leur ai téléphoné = I called them (passé composé)
Je leur ai téléphoné mais ils n’ont pas répondu.
I called them but they didn’t answer.
3. Possessive pronoun = theirs
Le leur means “theirs”. This is a possessive pronoun (mine, yours, etc.)
➞ le leur = theirs (for masculine singular noun)
➞ la leur = theirs (for feminine singular noun)
➞ les leurs = theirs (for plural noun)
J’aime mon cheval mais je préfère le leur.
I like my horse but I prefer theirs.
👉 French possessive pronouns »
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