Demonstratives / これ それ あれ どれ

Types and roles of demonstratives

Demonstratives represent things, places, directions, etc.
They are used to depend on whether what you want to indicate is near the speaker, near the listener, or far from both.
They have pronoun usages, adnominal adjective usages, and adverbial usages.

Pronoun usages

Usage | Distance	Near speaker	Near listener	Far from both	Question
Thing	これ this	それ it	あれ that	どれ which
Place	ここ here	そこ there	あそこ over there	どこ where
Direction (polite) Person (polite) Thing (polite)	こちら this place this person this thing	そちら your place you the thing	あちら that place that person that thing	どちら where who which
Direction	こっち this side this direction	そっち your side this direction	あっち that side that direction	どっち which
Person (casual) Thing (casual)	こいつ this guy this	そいつ the guy it	あいつ that guy that	どいつ who which

Examples

e.g. それは何なんですか？

What is it?

In this case “it” indicates the thing near the listener

e.g. 駅えきはこっちです。

The station is in this direction.

In this case “this direction” indicates the direction near the speaker side

駅えき [noun] station

e.g. あいつは天才てんさいだ。

That guy is genius.

In this case “that guy” indicates the person who is far from speaker and listener

天才てんさい [noun] genius

e.g. どちらになさいますか？

Which would you like?

なさる+ます+か [verb+auxiliary verb+particle] do you? would you like?

Adnominal adjective usages

Usage | Distance	Near speaker	Near listener	Far from both	Question
Indication	この this (+thing)	その that (+thing)	あの that (+thing)	どの which (+thing)
State (like Na-adjective)	こんな like this	そんな like that(you said)	あんな like that	どんな what kind

Examples

e.g. このペンを買かいます。

I’ll buy this pen.

In this case, the speaker is closer to the pen than anyone else.

ペン [noun] pen
買かう [verb] buy

e.g. そんな感かんじです。 (それは is omitted at the beginning of sentence)

It is like that.

In this case, it feels like the speaker agreed with the listener’s opinion.

感かんじ [noun] feeling, impression

e.g. その話はなしは聞きいたことがあります。

I’ve heard that story.

In this case, “that story” refers to the story that the listener told just before.

話はなし [noun] story, tale, topic, talk, speech
こと+が+ある+ます [noun+perticle+verb+auxilirary verb] I have V(p.p.)

e.g. あの人ひとは誰だれですか？

Who is that person?

In this case, “that person” is far from speaker and listener.

人ひと [noun] person

e.g. どんな音楽おんがくが好すきですか？

What kind of music do you like?

音楽おんがく [noun] music
好すき [Na-adjective] like, preferred, favorite

Adverbial usages

Usage | Distance	Near speaker	Near listener	Far from both	Question
State	こう like this	そう like that(you said)	ああ like that	どう what, how

Examples

はい、そうです。

Yes, it is (like that you said).

ああなりたくない。

I don’t want to be like that.

Practice

Translate the following sentences into English, paying attention to the demonstratives.