Greetings, everyone! Today we'll talk about the basics. We will tell you the difference between “this / that” and “these / those”, explain their meaning, give clear examples and decorate it all with a final table with the difference.
It's time to clear your doubts and learn the difference so you can be 200% confident in using some of the most common words in the English language.
This and That
The main difference is distance of the object from the speaker.
You need to use " this"[ðɪs] - this / this / this, when the object is close to the speaker (he is holding it in his hands, for example), and " that» [ðæt] - that / that / that when it is at a distance or outside the field of view of the speaker or listener.
This is my cat (pointing at a cat on my lap).
This my cat (pointing to him on her lap).
That is his dog (pointing at a dog beside some stranger on the street).
Ta his dog (pointing to the dog next to the stranger on the street).
Note that tense will also affect the use of "this" and "that" as demonstrative pronouns.
If something happened in the past, use " that" would be more appropriate. Although in Russian we still say “this”.
You can, of course, say “that”, but it will sound suspiciously strange. There is no need for clarification, which cannot be said about English.
He didn't die yet. That made me think.
He's not dead yet. This got me thinking.
On the other hand, if the event has not yet occurred, then the appropriate form would be " this».
She won't go to church tomorrow. This is quite strange.
She won't go to church tomorrow. This quite strange.
It’s surprising that Americans, when they pick up the phone, usually say: “ Who is this?", and the British - " Who is that?».
Usually we use " that", speaking about things, but not about people or animals:
Right: - Have you met Mr. Rogers? - The one with the stupid haircut or silly mustache?
Wrong: That who has stupid haircut?
These and Those
In a formal context, especially in scientific work, when talking about the similarity of something, we use " that of / those of" instead of "the one of / the ones of".
The proton has a similar mass to that of a neutron.
A proton has a similar mass to the proton of a neutron.
The emotions in the poems are those of loss and grief.
The emotions in the poems reflect loss and grief.
How to use these pronouns
- In the role defining word:
What's in this bag?
That whiskey tastes strange.
I might get myself a pair of those Nikes.
- In the role pronouns(meaning things or ideas):
Come and look at this.
That's a very bad idea.
Can I have one of these?
Uses of this and that
Emotional distance
Sometimes we use this, that, these and those to refer to things that make us happy.
For example, you can use " this/these”, referring to something we approve of or feel positive about.
I love this new woolen smartphone cover that you can get.
I like this new wool phone case, which you can get.
We use " that/those” to create distance.
What are you going to say to that friend of yours?
What are you going to say that friend of mine?
We use " those", talking about objects inside the room where we were.
I didn't like his house. It had those awful paintings.
I didn't like his house. It contained those terrible pictures.
Sharing knowledge and new information
Often this happens when we are telling a story or explaining something.
You know that waterfall in the forest nearby? Well, they're gonna privatize it.
You know That waterfall in the forest nearby? Well, they're going to privatize it.
« This" is sometimes used instead of "a/an" when we are referring to something important or recent, or when introducing someone to a new person or thing in our history.
This guy today knocked on the door and asked if I wanted to talk about God.
This the guy knocked on the door and asked if I wanted to talk about God.
Physical proximity and distance
We use " this", And " these» most often, pointing to things and people that are close to the speaker or writer, or to what is happening at the moment.
Shall I use this knife here?
I should take advantage this with a knife?
I'll post these letters on my way home.
I'll throw it in these letters to the post office on the way home.
We use " that" And " those”, pointing out things and people that are not easily identified in a situation. They are often located at a distance from the speaker, and sometimes closer to the listener.
What's in that bottle over there?
What's in it that bottle there?
Sometimes things are not visible to either the speaker or the listener.
Death Star! That's my favorite star!
The Death Star! This my favorite star!
Useful expressions and phrases
That's it- exclamation when solving a problem: “that’s all!”; in the role of agreement: “yes, right”, “exactly!”, “whoa!”, “period!; in the role of the final replica in an unambiguous plan: “that’s it!”, “that’s enough!”, “dry the oars!”; interrogative meaning in the sense of “that’s all?”, “oh well?”.
That's it! I"m not putting up with any more of her rudeness!
That's it! I won't tolerate her rudeness anymore!
That's it, it is working now.
That's all! Now it works.
That's alright(that's ok) - both expressions can be used to express forgiveness.
- Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you.
-That's ok.
- Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you.
- Everything is fine.
That's right is one of the most popular answers in English. Says that you agree or confirm someone else's words.
Translations: exactly like that, right, exactly, absolutely, just about, like that.
- You must be one lucky son of a b*tch, right?
- You must be a lucky son of a bitch, huh?
- That's right, I am. What?
- Yes sir. What?
And others:
this one time only(this once, just for once) - only 1 time;
this one is still kicking- this one is still alive;
this one is as good as any- this one is no better than any other;
this side of the Black Stump- on “this side” (where there is water, trees, life);
this said- at the same time (despite the fact that ...), everything said means that ... ;
this and that- This and that; bench stoves;
those against?- who is against?;
those abstaining- abstained from voting;
those and those ones- both;
those are her days- on these days she receives (guests, for example).
Is this one taken?- Is it busy/free here?;
What's all this/that about?- What kind of news is this!; Here's more news!;
This is it!- Here it is!; This is what I was looking for!; This is a critical moment!; Fine!; Right!; In fact of the matter!
| This/These | That/That | |
| Meaning | Pronouns and modifier. | |
| Use | 1) With people and objects near the speaker or listener in singular/plural. 2) To introduce someone. 3) Speaking about close time periods. 4) Referring to what will happen in the future, to what has not yet happened, or to what we are going to say or do. 5) Referring to something important or recently happened, or when introducing someone a new person or thing in our 6) Speaking about things close in time or location to the speaker or happening at the moment. 7) Referring to something we approve of or feel positive about. |
1) With people and objects away from the speaker or listener in singular/plural. Do you want to sit down on that bench over there? 2) Talking about events in the past. 3) Talking about what just happened. 5) In a formal context, especially in scientific activities, talking about the similarity of something. 6) Talking about objects inside the room where we were. 7) To create a sense of distance. |
Conclusion
Summarize:
This/that- here & singular / there & singular.
These/those- here & plural / there & plural.
We hope you enjoyed it and discovered something new. After all, this is why we are here writing to you! Enjoy your correct English and aim for more!
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Big and friendly EnglishDom family
Very often, students of even intermediate levels of English proficiency confuse demonstrative pronouns this, that, these, those, what is Especially when you need to translate sentences with these pronouns from your native language into English. These four words can be classified according to 2 criteria: distance And number. First about the distance.
In the table below you can see that the words this And these are used when talking about people or objects located close to the speaker. For example, this magazine (this magazine), these magazines (these magazines). While that And those- about people or objects located far away, far away from the speaker. For example, that picture (that picture), those pictures (those pictures). Now about the number (sg. - the singular - singular, pl. - plural - plural). The pronouns this and that are used with singular nouns - this pear(this pear) that pear(that pear), and these and those - in the plural - these pears(these pears) those pears(those pears).
Particular attention should be paid to the pronunciation of the demonstrative pronouns this and these. These two sounds are very similar. Be sure to compare them by listening directly to the blog, and now repeat them several times to feel the difference between [ðιs] (“s”) and [ði:z] (like the “and” in the word “needles”).
Remember that after the pronouns these and those you must make the noun plural by adding the ending -s or -es ( these shopss those bench es).
| HERE | THERE | |
|---|---|---|
| sg. | this (this) | that (that) |
| pl. | these (these) | those |
It's time to check how clear my explanation is to you :) Translate into English:
- this car
- these houses
- those vegetables
- these cities
- that sandwich
- this car
- these houses
- those vegetables
- these cities
- that sandwich
I think everyone did a great job with this simple task. Then, how would you say in English such a sentence (note, NOT a phrase): “This is a hotel, and that is a restaurant”? That's right, after the words this and that we use the verb to be in the singular: “This is a hotel, and that is a restaurant.” Say hotel and restaurant in the plural. It should be like this: “These are hotels, and those are reataurants.” - verb to be in the plural (These are hotels, and then restaurants.)
| HERE | THERE | |
|---|---|---|
| sg. | This is | That is |
| pl. | These are | Those are |
We fix:
- These are newspapers, and these are dictionaries.
- This is my book, and that is your pen.
- These are our envelopes, and this is his letter.
- This is her white bag, and that is her coat.
- This is the student, and these are the teachers.
- Those are newspapers, and these are dictionaries.
- This is my book, and that is your pen.
- Those are our envelopes, and this is his letter.
- This is her white bag, and that is her coat.
- This is a pupil, and these are teachers.
Questions with this, that, these, those
And, the last important point on the topic this, that, these, those- questions. Before asking “What is this?” in English, determine whether the answer will be a singular or plural noun. Because your question and answer must match in number. For example, if there are several apples on a plate, then the question “What is this?” will sound: “What are these?”, and not “What’s this?”, because the answer will be: "These are apples."
How demonstrative pronouns are used in spoken English.
Demonstrative pronouns:
this, this, this these - this
that, that, then - that
those - those
this is it
such, such - such
the same (s), the same (same) - the same
That/that. This/these.
1. This (these)index fingers pronouns used:
to indicate an object located close to the speaker.
This old woman is Mr. White's secretary.
This elderly woman is Mr. White's secretary.
to describe situations relating to the future or present time.
We are sorry but Dr. White is out at this moment.
We're sorry, but Dr. White is not available at the moment.
I'm seeing Tom this Sunday.
I'm meeting Tom this Sunday.
in a situation where you introduce people to each other or introduce yourself over the phone.
Kate, this is Liz and these are my friends Bob and Ted.
Katya, this is Lisa, and these are my friends Bob and Ted.
2. Those/that are used:
To indicate an object or person located at a certain distance from the speaker.
Look at those new beautiful buses over there! they are his!
Look at those beautiful new buses over there! They are his!
to describe situations related to the past.
That month spent at the seaside was the best in my life!
That month spent on the sea coast was the best of my life.
when talking on the phone to clarify who you are talking to.
"Hello! This is Lilia Smith. Who is that, please?”
"Hello. My name is Lilia Smith. Who, tell me, am I talking to?
3. these/ this, those/that are used as pronouns and independently without a noun behind it.
Let's have a talk over this. Let's discuss this.
These peaches are riper than those in the basket.
These peaches are riper than the ones in the basket.
4. If the pronouns these /those are used in an interrogative sentence, then in the answers they are replaced by they.
Are these papers yours? Are these your papers?
Yes, they are. Yes.
It
It is also used as a demonstrative pronoun.
It is a candle. This is a candle.
5. When answering special and general questions containing this or that, the pronoun it is used
Is that a butterfly over there? Is that a butterfly over there?
Yes, it is. Yes.
What is this? What is this?
It is a beetle. It's a beetle.
It or There?
How to use It correctly:
1) in sentences with It +be + adjective + to infinitive, highlighting the adjective, or it + be + adjective (+ that)
It is useless to know how it works without manual.
It's useless to know how it works without instructions.
It was coincident (that) Zinaida met her future husband in Paris.
What a coincidence that Zinaida met her future husband in Paris.
2) When we talk about the weather It has been foggy today.
Today it was foggy.
It has been snowing here since 2 o’clock.
It has been snowing since 2 o'clock.
3) When we ask for the exact time -What is the time?
What time is it now?
-It is 23.30 sharp.
Exactly twenty three thirty.
4) When we describe places (terrains)
It is always calm and beautiful here at the lake.
Here by the lake it is always quiet and beautiful.
5) When we use phrases like it is becoming/ it is going to...
It is going to be boring at Rubik’s party.
Rubek's party promises to be boring.
It is becoming less and less interesting film to watch on TV. There are less and less interesting movies to watch on TV.
There
Used when there is a combination: there + be (is, are, will be, have/has/had been, was, were):
1) When we say that something exists somewhere (is, exists, is located)
There is wooden old church in my village.
In my village there is an old wooden church.
2) When we indicate the presence of something, someone
I ‘m sure there was some people at the restaurant.
I'm sure there were several people outside the restaurant.
3) When we indicate that something is happening or will happen in the future
There was a wedding here 3 hours ago.
There was a wedding here 3 hours ago.
If there is an enumeration in the sentence, then in the phrases there is / are be consistent in number with the first noun.
There was his aunt, two cousins and Granny at my last birthday party. My birthday party last year was attended by his uncle, two cousins and grandmother.
Complex grammatical tenses do not raise as many questions as small words in English. I often notice that many people make mistakes in the use of the words it, this, that, because they do not know exactly which one to use and choose at random.
Let's sort it out in order. First, let's look at what meanings and functions these words initially have.
It is a personal pronoun ( , it is used to avoid repeating the names of inanimate objects.
This and that are demonstrative pronouns (). They are used when pointing to a specific object within sight. We use this when we point to something close; that - if something is far away. Let's look at several situations that you may encounter in communication.
Example 1
You point to an object that is close and name it:
This is a chair. - This is a chair.
You point to an object that is far away and name it:
That is a chair. - That's a chair.
If you have already named the object and pointed to it, then you need to say it:
This/ that is a chair. It is a comfortable chair. - This/that chair. This is a comfortable chair.
Example 2
It’s clear with objects, but sometimes the words this, that, it are used to describe more complex ideas and entire situations. It, as a rule, refers to one thing, and this and that - to a whole situation, more complex. Moreover, this is a situation in the present tense, and that is in the past.
Let's look at an example.
You are at a concert of your favorite band. You like the performance (present situation) and you say:
When you call a friend after a concert and describe everything you saw (the situation in the past), you say:
That was great!
If you simply say that you liked the concert, you say:
Example 3
Since all three words that we are talking about today are most often translated into Russian as “this,” confusion arises: in which situation to choose which one.
Let's look at a few typical situations in life when it is important for you to remember the right choice of words.
If you introduce people, introduce someone to someone, then you say this (as if you are pointing to the person):
When talking on the phone, when introducing yourself, say this:
Hello. This is Maria. - Hello. This is Maria.
To understand who is on the other end of the line, in a telephone conversation the British are more likely to say that , and Americans - this :
Hello! Is that Mark? (British version)
Hello! Is this Mark? (American version)
You knock on the door. From behind the door they may ask:
And in response you will say:
It's me. - It's me.
Example 4
When talking about the use of the words in question in the context of several sentences or in writing, it usually refers to the last noun in the previous sentence, and this can refer to entire sentences, ideas or parts of text:
We left the car under a tree and saw small shop. It was closed. - We left the car under a tree and saw a small store. It was closed. ( It- not a car or a tree, but the last noun in the sentence - a store)
More and more people are driving cars in the city. This leads to air pollution and traffic congestion the centre. - More and more people drive cars in the city. This leads to air pollution and traffic congestion in the center. ( This- the whole situation as a whole)
That is used in a similar way, but using that, the speaker distances himself from the situation or its individual aspects:
People in villages have several children who live with their parents after they get married. That is a conservative idea of family life. - People in villages usually have several children who live with their parents after they get married. This is a conservative approach to family life.
Example 5
What word should you use with the verb know when you want to say “I know this”?
When someone gives you information with which you are already familiar, it is enough to simply say I know.
By adding the words it/ this/ that you add a little emotion:
It was the secretary left the door open. - It was the secretary who left the door open.
I knew it! - I knew it. I knew it! (my suspicions were confirmed)
I knew this/that. - I knew that anyway. (I am not surprised)
Regarding the use of it, this, that in different situations, the speakers themselves often cannot explain why one should choose this or that, because there are no clearly formulated rules. To understand when it is better to use which word, you need to read and listen a lot, that is, “pass” the speech through yourself, with all the examples of use. If you are lost in the entire volume of materials and rules in English, you cannot find explanations for incomprehensible points and cannot organize your work, then we are happy to help you.
Take action, submit, meet with your teacher and start regular classes. After all, it is much more effective when a professional assistant motivates you, directs your attention to the nuances and examples of using words, helps you practice them in speech and improve your speaking skills.
In the first section of the second lesson, the demonstrative pronoun was introduced This as an alternative to the word It:
It is a cat = This is a cat
Let's see how these words differ.
What's happenedit?
It- This personal pronoun , the most adequate Russian translation of which would be: It. From previous lessons we remember that in English nouns have neither masculine nor feminine gender. It cannot be said that a table (table) is He, and a car (car) is She. All these words will belong to one neutral gender - It (it).
This is where the whole sentence comes from:
It is a table - This is a table literally: It is a table
It is a car - This is a car literally: It is a machine
Of course, it doesn’t sound very good in Russian word for word, so it’s better to try to understand these sentences from the point of view of the English language and just forget that words have genders.
What's happenedthis?
This– this is also a pronoun, but this demonstrative pronoun
: This . We use it when we point to some object - hence the name “demonstrative pronoun” (For example, we point our finger at the table and say: This is a table)
This is very suitable for constructing sentences like "This is..."
This is a book - This is a book
This is a pencil - This is a pencil
In all these cases the words This And It are equal. You can say this and that.
This is a car = It is a car (This is a car)
It"s a room = This is a room (This is a room)
What is it? = What is this? (What is this?)
Is it a bicycle? = Is this a bicycle?(Is this a bicycle?)
It"s not a flower = This is not a flower(This is not a flower)
It isn't a river = This isn't a river(This is not a river)
This and That
Besides the pronoun This(this), which indicates an object nearby, in English there is another pronoun to indicate a more distant object - That(That).
· >We use the pronoun This (This) when we point to an object located next to us (Here):>
T his is a flower he is nearby
T his is a room she is nearby
· >When the object is a little further from us (There), you need to use the pronoun That. The closest Russian equivalent is To. Although in Russian in a sentence we very often translate the word That with the pronoun This.>
That is a house - This is a house verbatim: That is, house
That is a bike - This is a motorcycle he is located at a somewhat distant distance from us
That is a tree - This is a tree here we also mean that tree, it is located not here, but there
So, if the item is HERE, then we use This, when the item is THERE, then we say That.
Compare:
This is a pen and that is a pencil- This is a pen, and that is a pencil.
Say it in English with the pronoun that:
This is a shirt
This is a flower
This is a glass
This is a newspaper
With the pronoun That we can shorten the verb is and say briefly and concisely: That's.
That is a phone = That"s a phone(This is a phone)
That is a clock = That"s a clock(This is a clock)
That is a shelf = That"s a shelf(This is a shelf)
Say it briefly:
This is the door
This is a computer
This is a mug
This is a mirror
Now we can use That in all kinds of sentences.
What is that? – That is a car.
Is that a car? – Yes, that's a car.
That is not a dog, that is a cat.
Is that a cow? – No, that "s not a cow, that"s a bike
That isn't a boy, that's a girl.
>
Hover your cursor to find out what all these sentences mean.
Note also that if the question contains the pronoun this , then it is not at all necessary to use it when answering. Everything will depend on how close the subject is to you and the interlocutor. So very often you can find such cases:
What is that? – This is a bicycle The bike is further away from the person asking, but closer to the person answering
Is this a cupboard? – Yes, that"s a cupboard
Is that a clock? – Yes, this is a clock
Try to speak in English, imagining that the following objects will be close to the person asking the questions, and far from the answer. And then vice versa:
What is this? - This is a guitar