Questions tagged [demonstratives]

指示語. Questions regarding those words or particles that function similarly to the set of English adjectives and pronouns including "that", "these", "this", and "those".

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
1 vote
1 answer
229 views

How to read そう in front of pronouns, nouns, and verbs?

I know そう definitions include "so, like that, such, and in such a way," and it can act demonstrative before verbs to describe whatever the verb is happening "like that." I've seen ...
A.T.A.'s user avatar
  • 95
1 vote
1 answer
406 views

この vs その when referring to the previous sentence?

My textbook states that sometimes, both この and その can be used to refer to the previous sentence. Some examples: 先週木村さんという人に会った。{この、その}人は大学の先生だ。 私は子供の頃、よく近くの広場で遊んだ。しかし、{この、その}場所はもうない。 アメリカで新しい薬が開発された。{...
kennysong's user avatar
  • 476
2 votes
2 answers
320 views

What is the difference between 当{とう} and この?

I am making a website and needed inspiration for a "404 not found" page in Japanese. Going to a non-existent page on Amazon.co.jp (ex: amazon.co.jp/aaaaaaa) gives this message: 何{なに}かお探{さが}...
Wimateeka's user avatar
  • 223
5 votes
2 answers
326 views

Is there a kanji form of ああ?

Is there a kanji form of ああ, like there is for [斯]{こ}う, [然]{そ}う, and [如何]{どう}? I've searched online, but neither Jisho.org, Wiktionary, or Weblio list a kanji version for demonstrative ああ, like they ...
LittleWhole's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
389 views

その without a following noun?

A: あの~、すみません。 B: はい。 A: このへんにこうしゅうでんわはありますか。 B: こうしゅうでんわですか? A: ええ。 B: えーっと...ああ、コンビニのまえにじどうはんばいきがありますね。 こうしゅうでんわはそのとなりにありますよ。 Image In the sentence こうしゅうでんわはそのとなりにありますよ, why その allowed ...
user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
279 views

「その+名詞」vs「この+名詞」

I am currently working through the N1 grammar preparation book 「新完全マスター 文法」and one of the later chapters of the book deals with the difference between 「その+名詞」and「この+名詞」. There are two examples given: ...
Florian Baierl's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
399 views

こんな、そんな、あんな、どんな + na-adjectives

How do they interact with each other? I know that depending on the part of speech these words may have/have no particle after them, but what about na-adjectives? Do these pronouns have any particle in ...
Tawahachee's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
3k views

What's the difference between "doko ga ... desu ka" and "... doko ni arimasu ka"?

I'm reading a textbook and I have this example: Takashi-san no ie wa doko ni arimasu ka? Trying to understand why is arimasu used instead of desu I rephrased it like so: Doko ga Takashi-san no ...
yierstem's user avatar
  • 153
0 votes
1 answer
2k views

Kochira vs Konohito and Donohito vs Donata

I'm reading a textbook and I've encountered these examples: Kochira wa donata desu ka? Konohito wa donohito desu ka? I know the first one is a more polite way of asking about someone, but is there ...
yierstem's user avatar
  • 153
0 votes
1 answer
478 views

basic grammar of pointing words

I am having some trouble with kore, sore, are, dore, dore no, kono, sono, ano, dono, koko, soko and doko. I know what they mean but I am trying to put them into sentence and the order of the particles ...
Faust's user avatar
  • 360
3 votes
2 answers
174 views

どうしてこの会話では、話し手と聞き手両方が「そこ」を使っているのに、同じ場所を指すのですか?

日本語 日本語の練習をしようと思ったので初めて日本語で質問を書きました。文法の間違いがあったら編集していただけませんか? 僕はここでこんな会話を読んでいました。 アリス) 図書館はどこ? ボブ) ここが図書館だ。 アリス) そこは図書館じゃない? ボブ) そこじゃない。図書館はここだ。 僕はこう翻訳しました。 Alice) Where is the library? Bob) Here ...
Sweeper's user avatar
  • 2,912
0 votes
1 answer
83 views

其れは... and 其の... Trying to restructure sentences using both words

So I have this sentence: 其れはスーサンの鞄です Can I restructure this sentence into: 其の鞄はスーサンのです ?
Win Barua's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
159 views

Why is そう used to refer to something the speaker just said?

This is what I know about the こそあど words: こ〜 is used to refer to something that is close to the speaker そ〜 is used to refer to something that is close to the listener or something not too far away ...
Sweeper's user avatar
  • 2,912
6 votes
2 answers
285 views

「このXのY」– What does この refer to?

I was reading about the upcoming movie この[世界]{せかい}の[片隅]{かたすみ}に - and I thought about what the title might mean. I quickly arrived at "In a corner of this world" (which some sources also seem to list ...
obskyr's user avatar
  • 416
2 votes
2 answers
441 views

Why/when should I use the different forms of this and that?

When do I use これ, それ, and あれ vs この, その, and あの to say "this" or "that". example: why is it それはペンです vs そのはペンです ?
Devynn's user avatar
  • 21
3 votes
1 answer
138 views

Using demonstratives with time periods

I want to express 'These past one and a half years...'. E.g. 'These past one and a half years have been really fun!' What I've come up with so far is: この一年半間で。。。[past tense]. I think I've just made ...
Tams's user avatar
  • 31
5 votes
1 answer
5k views

What's the difference between それ、これ and あれ

What's the difference between these words? I read a lot of explanations in various books but they aren't clear for me. It says that depending on the object distance, the first, second or third needs ...
Denis Steinman's user avatar
10 votes
3 answers
3k views

What does it mean when この is in front of a personal pronoun?

As in このオレさま and この僕も. I know the literal translation, but I never understood what the intent of it is.
Roy Fuentes's user avatar
  • 1,608
1 vote
3 answers
304 views

Why 罪人=犯罪者のこと、not just 犯罪者?

I was reading a guide to 刑事ドラマ and 時代劇場. Most of the definitions follow the format: 真犯人:本当の犯人。 盗人・盗賊:他人の物を盗む人。 However for one or two words such as 「罪人」 it says: 罪人:犯罪者**のこと**。例:...
Tim's user avatar
  • 10.7k
2 votes
1 answer
216 views

How are こと and こんな being used in this sentence?

I have to translate the following. メモには、「毎日、家のことをしてくれて、ありがとう。」と書いてありました。 こんなやさしい、ロマンチックな日本人の男の人がいると思いますか。 For the first sentence, I am not sure what the note says. In the note, "Every day, you ...
Snowy Coder Girl's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
385 views

concerning あ こ そ words

Out of curiosity I looked up その in a monolingual dictionary, the first thing I see Is [連体]《代名詞「そ」+格助詞「の」から》What on earth is a "case marking particle"? Is this the の particle that simply means "of"? ...
user4096's user avatar
  • 634
6 votes
1 answer
290 views

What is その doing in そのあの子?

The following speech is from a video game called ファイアーエムブレム 新・暗黒竜と光の剣:   父上に万一の事があれば   マルスは   アリティア王家唯一の男子。   世界でただ1人の   神剣ファルシオン   継承者となるのです。   あの子は   アリティアの希望   アリティアの未来。   ...
user avatar
14 votes
2 answers
749 views

Irregularity of あ-series in demonstratives

Why is the あ-series in demonstratives irregular like the following: ここ  そこ  あ そこ      どこ        (expected あこ) こう  そう  あ あ       どう        (expected あう) Is it related to the fact that こ, そ, ど ...
user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
262 views

Is その always or only occasionally a demonstrative adjective?

The following Japanese sentence was translated with その as "the": その 仕事の一部を誰かにやってもらったほうがいい。 You should get someone else to do some of the work for you. while I translated it with その as "that": ...
yadokari's user avatar
  • 10.3k
3 votes
1 answer
188 views

Extracting from, and introducing to Universe of Discourse using は and が with こそあど-demonstratives

Consider the following: このりんご( は / が )食べないでください。 Person A: どちらが東ですか。  Person B: こちら( は / が )東です。 Workbook answers are は for 1. and が for 2. In 1., I would expect the person to be ...
Flaw's user avatar
  • 19.9k
11 votes
2 answers
4k views

その中( に / で / から ) What is the correct choice of particles?

Excerpt from a JLPT practice question: Background information: the writer was looking for rental apartments. 次に行ったところは小さい会社ですが、そこの人は大変優しい人でした。 それにいいアパートもたくさんありました。 私はその中[Blank]好きな家を借りました。 今、...
Flaw's user avatar
  • 19.9k
17 votes
1 answer
394 views

What are the origins of the 「こそあど」 demonstratives?

I've noticed the following sets of words that seem to have a very obvious pattern, and, of course, their meanings are very closely related: これ、 それ、 あれ、 どれ この、 その、 あの、 どの ここ、 そこ、 あそこ、 どこ What are the ...
voithos's user avatar
  • 1,765
24 votes
3 answers
15k views

What is the difference between その and あの?

Superficially, I get the sense that あの is for something far away from both speaker and listener, and その is for something closer to the listener than speaker. However, I seem to get in trouble when ...
zakvdm's user avatar
  • 939