Expanding これ, それ, and あれ
“It’s always too soon to quit!” - Norman Peale
Now, there’s more to これ, それ, and あれ than just saying “this is a lamp” or “that is a robot” or “that over there is a monkey…” So much more, in fact. First we’re going to look at tenses, then move on to questions. From there, we’ll expand even further – there’s a lot you can do with these three little words (and the things you’ve learned before).
Since I think you’re able to do this on your own, let’s see how you do with translating. Can you translate the following sentences into Japanese / English?
これ は いす です。
This is a chair.
あれ は みず じゃありません。
That over there is not water.
それ は たべもの じゃありませんでした。
That was not food.
あれ は にほん でした。
That over there was Japan.
That was a train.
それ は でんしゃ でした。
This is a telephone.
これ は でんわ です。
Do you understand how you can change the tenses very easily? Stay with the same pattern and just change the noun-enders (those are the です, でした, じゃありません, and じゃありませんでした thingies).
Now, right now you’re just making statements – what about questions? This should be pretty easy, since you know that all you need to do is add か to the end of something to make it into a question.
あれ は でんしゃ ですか？
Is that (over there) a train?
はい、あれ は でんしゃ です。
Yes, that (over there) is a train.
In this particular situation, the train must be away from both of you, since both people are using あれ to describe it as being “that over there.” How about this one?
これ は たべもの ですか？
Is this food?
いいえ、それ は たべもの じゃありません
No, that is not food.
You are asking if “this is food.” The response, of course, uses それ because the person talking is talking about the food that you have.