Inglés en la Biblio

Demonstrative Pronouns
Present simple Verb to be.

We use demonstrative pronouns to say that something is near or far.

Usamos los pronombres demostrativos para decir si algo está cerca o lejos.

Pronoun Distance from the speaker Number Example

Distancia del hablante.

This Near (cerca) Singular This is a table.

That Far (Lejos) Singular That is a window

These Near Plural These are chairs

Those Far Plural Those are books.

The demonstrative pronouns can also be the subject of a sentence.

Los pronombres demostrativos también pueden ser los sujetos de una oración.

Kind of sentence Structure Example

Tipo de oración Estructura Ejemplo

Affirmative Subject +verb to be + Complement This is fun.

Negative Subject +verb to be + Not + Complement That is not fun.

Question Verb to be + Subject + Complement +? Are these fun?

Negative Question Verb to be + Not +Subject + Complement +? Are not those fun?

REMEMBER:
RECUERDA:
In English, the order of the words defines the kind of sentences we are creating.
En inglés, el orden de las palabras define la clase de oración que estamos creando.
 However, the demonstrative pronouns can also modify nouns.
Sin embargo, los pronombres demostrativos pueden tambien modificar sustantivos.

This chair is brown.

That book is orange.
These shelves are full of books.
Those windows are closed.

Now, suppose you are looking at a picture of your family with a friend, and you want to tell
him who they are. Surely, you will point with your finger to the members of your family and
say:

Ahora, supone que estás mirando a una foto de tu familia con un amigo, y quieres decirle
quiénes son ellos. Seguramente, apuntarás con tu dedo a los miembros de tu familia y dirás:

These are my parents. (Mom and Dad)

Those are my brothers.
That is my older sister.
This is George. He is my uncle, and that is my aunt Sarah.

Exercise:
Get a photograph of your whole family and describe who are their members using
demonstrative pronouns.
Consigue una fotografía de toda tu familia y describe quiénes son sus miembros
usando pronombres demostrativos.