Plural Demonstratives - These and Those

A1 Eiken 3 Beginner

these/those + plural noun

Explanation

Use "these" for plural things near you. Use "those" for plural things farther away.

In "Those shoes are too big.", "those" points to more than one shoe, "shoes" is the plural noun, and "are" matches a plural subject. Japanese often uses "これらの" or "あれらの", but English also needs the noun to be plural. So "these book" is wrong, because "book" must become "books".

Examples

  • These cookies are delicious. これらのクッキーはおいしいです。
  • Those shoes are too big. あの靴は大きすぎます。
  • Are these your keys? これらはあなたの鍵ですか。
  • I don't like those pictures. 私はあの写真が好きではありません。
  • These apples are fresh. これらのりんごは新鮮です。
  • Those people over there are waiting for the bus. 向こうにいるあの人たちはバスを待っています。

Common Mistakes

Japanese learners often use a singular noun after "these" or "those", for example "These book are mine." The noun must be plural, so say "These books are mine." Also, "this" and "that" are for one thing, but "these" and "those" are for more than one.

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