this, that, these, those

Use these words to show which thing you mean. The choice depends on two things: is it near or far, and is it one or more than one?

• this – one thing, near you
• these – more than one, near you
• that – one thing, not near you
• those – more than one, not near you

With or without a noun

The word can stand alone, without a noun. One and ones take the place of the noun too.

This for introducing people

When you introduce someone, say This is ….

On the phone, you can say who you are with this is or it's: Hello, this is Yuki.

That for something just said

That can point to what someone has just said or done.

Time

This is for the time you're in now or the one coming: this week, this morning, this summer. That is for a time in the past or far away: that day.

This and these sound different

This has a short vowel and ends in "s". These has a long vowel and ends in "z", like "theez".

Common mistakes

• × this books → these books
• × that shoes → those shoes
• × These is my bag. → This is my bag.
• × He is Sam. (introducing someone) → This is Sam.