How To Say ‘This, That, & That Over There’
“Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you.” - Carl Jung
In the previous chapter, you learned how to describe what people are. You learned to say things like “Koichi is a homeless person” and “Godzilla is an author” and “I am Bobo” (make sure you actually can say those things). Now we’re going to take that same pattern and integrate the words “this,” “that,” and “that over there.” In just a moment you’ll see how simple it really is, that is as long as you’ve learned everything up to this point.
First, let’s look at how to say “this,” “that,” and “that over there.” I’d pop open your language learning log and jot notes down for these, if I were you.
これ – This
Means “this.” Refers to things that are in the possession of the speaker, i.e. “This is a pen.” I’m talking about the pen and the pen is in my own hands.
それ – That
Means “that.” Refers to things that are in the possession of the person you’re talking to, i.e. “That (in your hand) is a pen.” I’m talking to someone else, and the pen is in their hands.
あれ – That (Over There)
Means “that over there.” Refers to something that is away from both you (the speaker) and the person you’re speaking to, i.e. “That over there (away from both of us) is a pen.” This would be said if the pen was on a table, and neither of us was holding the pen.
We’re going to learn how to use these three things in a moment, but for now, I want you to learn and associate これ with “this,” それ with “that,” and あれ with “that over there.” Alright, let’s see how they work now.