Determiners

This, That, These, Those: English Demonstratives

Level A1 Determiners
Key idea

English uses four demonstratives to point things out by distance and number. Use "this" for one thing nearby and "that" for one thing far away, as in "This is my phone." Switch to the plural "these" for nearby things and "those" for far-away things, as in "I like these shoes" and "Those are expensive." The key habit is matching number: never say "this shoes" or "these book" — the demonstrative and its noun must agree.

Examples

  • This is my phone. the nearby object is the speaker's phone
  • Those are expensive. the far-away things cost a lot
  • I like these shoes. the speaker likes the nearby shoes

The full lesson

Everything in the video, in text.

  1. this · that · these · those

    the pointing words

    Four tiny words let you point at anything in English — and two simple questions tell you exactly which one to use.

  2. Two questions: near or far? One or many?

    These are called demonstratives — they point things out. To choose the right one, ask yourself just two questions: Is it near me or far from me? And is it one thing or more than one?

  3. By distance

    near
    • this
    • these
    far
    • that
    • those

    First, distance. Use this and these for things close to you — within reach. Use that and those for things further away.

  4. the four demonstratives

    near · singular this
    far · singular that
    near · plural these
    far · plural those

    Now add number, and all four fall into place. This and that are singular — one thing. These and those are plural — more than one. Here's the full picture.

  5. This is my phone.

    near · singular

    Let's see them work. One thing, close to me, takes this. This is my phone.

  6. That is my phone.

    far · singular

    Move it across the room, and the same single thing becomes that. That is my phone.

  7. I like these shoes.

    near · plural

    Now more than one, close by. Plural and near means these. Notice it sits right before the noun. I like these shoes.

  8. Those are expensive.

    far · plural · stands alone

    More than one, far away, takes those. And here it stands alone — no noun needed, because we already know what we're pointing at. Those are expensive.

  9. Can I try this jacket?

    near · singular · before a noun

    They work before a noun too. In a shop, reaching for one nearby jacket: Can I try this jacket?

  10. Who are those people?

    far · plural · before a noun

    And pointing across the street at a group of people far away: Who are those people?

  11. ✗ this shoes singular word, plural noun
    ✓ these shoes plural word, plural noun

    Match the number: plural noun needs these or those.

    Here's the mistake learners make most. The demonstrative must match the number of the noun. Shoes is plural, so this shoes is wrong — it has to be these shoes.

  12. ✗ these book plural word, singular noun
    ✓ this book singular word, singular noun

    One book is singular — use this or that.

    It works the other way too. Many languages use one word for near things no matter the number — but English doesn't. These book is wrong for a single book; it's this book.

  13. Remember

    • near → this / these
    • far → that / those
    • singular → this / that · plural → these / those

    So always ask the two questions: near or far, one or many. Match the number every time, and these four words become automatic.