Your vs you're
Your means belonging to you, as in your bag. You're is short for you are, so use it only where you are would fit.
The apostrophe in you're replaces the a in you are. If you are fits, write you're.
your determiner
Belonging to or related to the person or people you are talking to.
- Please bring your passport tomorrow.
- Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats.
you're contraction
A short way of writing or saying you are.
- You're the only person who remembered my birthday.
- Call me when you're ready to leave.
Watch out
- Writing you're when you mean your is a common mistake. Test it by saying you are in its place. If that sounds wrong, write your.She texted to say your package had arrived.
- In informal English, your can also point to a typical example, with no one actually owning it. It is still spelled your.It was your standard hotel breakfast.
- In informal Irish English, your man and your one mean that man and that woman, often someone whose name is not given. No owning is meant, and it is still your.Your man with the dog is our new neighbor.
Test yourself
Don't forget blank umbrella when you go out.
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your. The umbrella belongs to you. You are umbrella makes no sense.
I think blank going to love this movie.
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you're. You can say you are going to love it, so use you're.
Is that blank phone on the kitchen table?
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your. The question asks whether the phone belongs to you. That you are phone makes no sense.
Let me know when blank finished with the book.
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you're. The sentence means when you are finished.