their for Mandarin speakers — pronunciation and common errors

Pronunciation

Mandarin lacks the voiced dental fricative /ð/, leading speakers to substitute the voiced alveolar plosive /d/, resulting in the pronunciation of 'their' as /deə/.

Grammar

Mandarin uses the possessive particle 的 (de) for both singular and plural pronouns (他们的 tāmen de), which lacks the specific phonetic distinction found between 'his/her' and 'their'. Consequently, learners may generalize the singular possessive form to plural contexts when speaking rapidly.

Examples

• The children are playing with their new toys in the garden.
• The neighbors asked if we could watch their dog while they are away on vacation next week.