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Grammar Lesson 8

Demonstrative Pronouns этот and тот. Indeclinable это vs. Demonstrative pronouns этот (эта, это, эти)




Russian grammar and vocabulary. Unit 2
Grammar Lesson 5
Asking Whose in Russian? The Possessive Pronouns его, её, их, наш, ваш
Grammar Lesson 6
Asking What and Who? Nominative case. Asking Where? Prepositional case
Phrasebook Topic 5
Family
Phrasebook Topic 6
At the Airport
Quiz 6
Check what you have learned from Grammar Lessons 5-6 and Phrasebook Topics 5-6 with this 10 minute quiz.
Grammar Lesson 7
What is an Adjective? Nominative Case of Adjectives
Grammar Lesson 8
Demonstrative Pronouns этот and тот. Indeclinable это vs. Demonstrative pronouns этот (эта, это, эти)
Phrasebook Topic 7
Clothes
Phrasebook Topic 8
Learn numbers 1-20 in Russian
Quiz 7
Check what you have learned from Grammar Lessons 7-8 and Phrasebook Topic 7 with this 10 minute quiz.
Test 2
Check what you have learned from Grammar Lessons 5-8 and Phrasebook Topics 5-8.

 Грамматика                                                 Demonstrative Pronouns

 
1. The Demonstrative Pronouns этот and тот
 

 

 

A demonstrative pronoun (also called 'demonstrative  adjective') is used to point out a noun. Russian demonstrative pronouns этот and тот correspond to English this and that

Этот describes a noun which is closer to the speaker. Click the following statement to listen, then read it aloud:

Этот дом новый.

This house is new.

Тот is used as the second element of an opposition. Compare:

Этот дом новый, а тот дом старый.

This house is new and that house is old.

Тот is also used to describe an object (noun) which is markedly removed in space or time from the speaker. Study the following statements:

1. Тот город маленький.

1. That city is small.

2. Этот город маленький.

2. This city is small.

In the first statement тот referring to a city further away from the speaker (it may be the city where the speaker was before).

In the second statement этот referring to the city where the speaker is now.

 
 
2. The Nominative Case of Demonstrative Pronouns
The demonstrative pronouns этот and тот function as noun modifiers in the sentence. As all modifiers they must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number and case, i.e. change form according to the noun's gender, number and case.

Study the Nominative case forms of the demonstrative pronouns этот and тот :

   
Masculine этот тот дом this/that house
Feminine эта та рубашка this/that shirt
Neuter это то платье this/that dress
Plural эти те студенты these/those students
   
 
 
3. The Indeclinable это and the Demonstrative pronouns этот (эта, это, эти)
We have learned that the English 'This is' and 'These are' are usually translated into Russian as Это... .

Examples:

Это новый дом.

 This is a new house.

Это новая рубашка.

 This is a new shirt.

Это новое платье.

 This is a new dress.

Это японские студенты.

 These are Japanese students.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This indeclinable это should not be confused with the demonstrative pronoun это (the Nominative neuter form of этот).

The demonstrative pronoun этот (эта, это, эти) is used as a noun modifier. Compare the following statements. Pay attention to the intonation:

 

1. Это новый дом.

1. This is a new house.

indeclinable это

2. Этот дом новый.

 

2. This house is new.

 

dem. pronoun. (masculine)

1. Это новая рубашка.

1. This is a new shirt.

indeclinable это

2. Эта рубашка новая.

 

2. This shirt is new.

 

dem. pronoun. (feminine)

 

1. Это новое платье.

1. This is a new dress.

indeclinable это

2. Это платье новое.

2. This dress is new.

dem. pronoun. (neuter)

Notes
  • Use the indeclinable это to translate English phrases starting  with 'This is', 'These are'.
  • Use the demonstrative pronoun этот (эта, это, эти) to translate such word combinations as 'this house ' - этот дом, 'this shirt' - эта рубашка, 'this dress' - это платье,  'these students' - эти студенты.
 
 
  Exercises  Упражнения
Translate English sentences into Russian
 

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