Pronouns · CEFR A1 · Starting
this / that / these / those — English pronouns
Near or far, one or many. This and that are single; these and those are plural — those is the one people forget.
The shape
this / these = near · that / those = far
Point at something, near or far, one or many.
In Hindi
पास या दूर, एक या कई। this और that एक के लिए, these और those कई के लिए।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The mistake to fix first
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
This are my books. | These are my books. More than one takes "these". |
this / that / these / those examples
Easiest first. Every sentence is authored, with the Hindi it comes from.
This is my house.
यह मेरा घर है।
This is my book.
यह मेरी किताब है।
This is my phone.
यह मेरा फोन है।
This is my chair.
यह मेरी कुर्सी है।
That is my car.
वह मेरी कार है।
also correct: That's my car.
She is my sister.
वह मेरी बहन है।
also correct: That is my sister.
He is my brother.
वह मेरा भाई है।
also correct: That is my brother.
He is my friend.
वह मेरा दोस्त है।
also correct: She is my friend.
This is my head.
यह मेरा सिर है।
This is my hand.
यह मेरा हाथ है।
Questions people ask
- What is the this / that / these / those used for?
- Near or far, one or many. This and that are single; these and those are plural — those is the one people forget. In practice: point at something, near or far, one or many.
- How do you form the this / that / these / those?
- this / these = near · that / those = far.
- What is the most common mistake with the this / that / these / those?
- Saying “This are my books.” instead of “These are my books.”. More than one takes "these".
Where this / that / these / those fits
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
this / that / these / those is a CEFR A1 structure — the starting band — and it belongs to pronouns. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
CoCap turns this page into practice: Hindi sentence in, English sentence out, corrected one thing at a time. Free, no card.
Practise the this / that / these / those →