This, that, these, those

A1 — Pronouns

Near/far and singular/plural in one grid: this/these (here), that/those (there); phone English (this is Anna)

I can point near and far with this/that/these/those and introduce people and myself on the phone.

Near/far and singular/plural in one grid: this/these (here), that/those (there); phone English (this is Anna)

Examples

This is my colleague Sarah, and those are her famous brownies. — This is my colleague Sarah, and those are her famous brownies.
Hi, this is Mike from the garage - your car is ready. — Hi, this is Mike from the garage - your car is ready.

PronounsA1

This, that, these, those

Near/far and singular/plural in one grid: this/these (here), that/those (there); phone English (this is Anna)

Learning Goal

I can point near and far with this/that/these/those and introduce people and myself on the phone.

Exam Skills:A2 Key ListeningA2 Key Reading & Writing

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

This is my colleague Sarah, and those are her famous brownies.

This is my colleague Sarah, and those are her famous brownies.

Hi, this is Mike from the garage - your car is ready.

Hi, this is Mike from the garage - your car is ready.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

Two axes - distance and number:

	near (here)	far (there)
singular	this cup	that mountain
plural	these cups	those mountains

Uses: pointing (This is my desk), introducing people (This is my friend Tom), on the phone (Hi, this is Anna - never *I am Anna here), and reactions (That's great! That sounds fun.).

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

this/these pronunciation merged: [ðɪs] vs [ðiːz]
*I am Anna on the phone → This is Anna
this + plural noun: *this shoes → these shoes

Common Error Patterns

this/these merged in speech

Short [ɪ] vs long [iː] + voiced z

I am X on the phone

Phone introductions: This is X

This is my colleague Sarah, and those are her famous brownies.

this for introducing, those for far plural.

Hi, this is Mike from the garage - your car is ready.

Phone identification: this is + name.

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

A1 Course

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Put it into practice

Try a free exercise from the course

Frequently asked questions

When is This, that, these, those used?: Uses: pointing ( This is my desk ), introducing people ( This is my friend Tom ), on the phone ( Hi, this is Anna - never *I am Anna here), and reactions ( That's great! That sounds fun. ).
What are common mistakes with This, that, these, those?: this/these pronunciation merged: [ðɪs] vs [ðiːz] *I am Anna on the phone → This is Anna this + plural noun: *this shoes → these shoes

near (here)

far (there)

singular

this cup

that mountain

plural

these cups

those mountains

Frequently asked questions

When is This, that, these, those used?

Uses: pointing ( This is my desk ), introducing people ( This is my friend Tom ), on the phone ( Hi, this is Anna - never *I am Anna here), and reactions ( That's great! That sounds fun. ).

What are common mistakes with This, that, these, those?

this/these pronunciation merged: [ðɪs] vs [ðiːz] *I am Anna on the phone → This is Anna this + plural noun: *this shoes → these shoes