Uso de Demonstratives

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Demonstratives: This, That, These, Those

Understanding how to point out people and things in English

📘 Explanation

Los demonstratives son this, that, these y those y se usan para señalar e identificar personas o cosas. Con ellos podemos indicar la cantidad y la distancia de los objetos. Gramaticalmente pueden usarse como pronouns o como determiners.

Number Near Far
Singular This That
Plural These Those

🧠 Usage

  • This → Lo usamos para algo cerca y singular.
    Example: This book is interesting.
  • That → Para algo lejos y singular.
    Example: That car is fast.
  • These → Para cosas cerca y plural.
    Example: These apples are fresh.
  • Those → Para cosas lejos y plural.
    Example: Those houses are old.

📋 Structure

Structure as a determiner: Demonstrative + noun

Examples:

  • This pen
  • That chair
  • These students
  • Those trees

Structure as a pronoun: Demonstrative + be + complement

This and That example

Examples:

  • This is a pencil.
  • That is a small chair.
  • These are some students.
  • Those are four crayons.

💡 Considerations

  • This y that son para sustantivos singulares; these y those para plurales.
  • Usa this y these cuando los objetos estén cerca de ti.
  • Usa that y those cuando estén lejos de ti.
  • Para la forma negativa, usa isn't y aren't.
  • En preguntas, inicia con el verbo Is o Are.

🔗 Other resources

👉 Practice exercises: Demonstratives Exercises

📚 Bibliography

  • Cambridge Dictionary (2025). This, That, These, Those. Recuperado el 16 de octubre de 2025 de Cambridge University Press. Website: dictionary.cambridge.org

📝 Author: Step on English | www.steponenglish.com