Word
they've
Phoneticstheyve
Definition
pron. the short way to say 'they have'. You use it when talking about a group of people who have done something or own something.
pron. the contracted form of 'they have'. Used as a subject followed by a past participle in perfect tenses or to indicate possession in informal contexts.
Examples
“They've already finished their dinner.”
“They've lived in this neighborhood for over twenty years and know everyone on the street.”
“While the researchers admit the study is small, they've managed to identify a significant correlation that had previously been overlooked by their peers in the field.”
Examples
simple
“They've already finished their dinner.”
contextual
“They've lived in this neighborhood for over twenty years and know everyone on the street.”
complex
“While the researchers admit the study is small, they've managed to identify a significant correlation that had previously been overlooked by their peers in the field.”
Usage
A contraction of the pronoun 'they' and the auxiliary verb 'have'. In formal writing, the full form 'they have' is preferred.
Pitfall
They've a new car.
They've got a new car. / They have a new car.
In many dialects, 'they've' is only used as an auxiliary verb; when showing possession, 'got' is added or the full 'have' is used.
Collocations
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/theyve