Skip to Content
Issue — October 2026
This, That, These, Those

This, That, These, Those

A2 Grammar 55 sentences
This, That, These, Those 0 / 55

Near and far, one and many — the pointing words.

Explanation

We use this, that, these and those to point at people, things and places. They are called demonstratives. You can use them in two ways:

  • as a determiner, before a noun: this book, those chairs
  • as a pronoun, on their own: This is my bag. / Those are nice.

There are two questions to ask:

  1. How far? This and these = things near the speaker. That and those = things far from the speaker.
  2. How many? This and that = singular (one). These and those = plural (many).

So: this (near + 1), that (far + 1), these (near + many), those (far + many).

Examples

  • This book is really interesting. (near me, one book)
  • Can you open that window, please? (far from me, one window)
  • Look at these flowers! They are beautiful. (near us, many flowers)
  • Those students are from Brazil. (far from me, many students)
  • This is my sister, Anna. (used alone, near)
  • Those are my friends from school. (used alone, far)
This, That, These, Those — image 2

Common mistakes

  • ❌ This books are mine. → ✅ These books are mine. (plural needs these, not this)
  • ❌ I like this shoes. → ✅ I like these shoes.
  • ❌ What is that in my hand? (the phone is near) → ✅ What is this in my hand?
  • ❌ Thi apples → ✅ These apples (don't forget the -se)
  • ❌ That are my keys. → ✅ Those are my keys. (plural needs those)

In real life

At the market — Anna (the shopkeeper) and Ben (a customer).

Anna: Hi! Welcome to my shop. This fruit is very sweet today.

Ben: It looks great! How about those oranges over there?

Anna: Those are from Spain. These apples are from my farm.

Ben: I'll take these apples and that bag, please.

Anna: Great choice! And that cake on the table is a free gift for you.

Ben: Wow, thanks!

Quiz

0/5

  1. 1Which word do we use for ONE thing that is FAR from the speaker?

    "That" is singular (one) and used for things far from the speaker.

  2. 2In the market dialog, what does Anna say about the apples near her?

    Anna points to the apples near her and says, "These apples are from my farm."

  3. 3Which sentence is CORRECT?

    "These" is plural, so it goes with the plural noun "books".

  4. 4You see many tall trees close to you. What do you say?

    Many trees + close to the speaker = "these".

  5. 5Which of these is a COMMON MISTAKE in the lesson?

    The lesson lists "this books" as a typical error; the correct form is "these books".