Demonstrative Pronouns in Russian

Overview

Russian demonstrative pronouns point to specific nouns, distinguishing between "this" (этот) and "that" (тот). At the A1 level, these pronouns are essential for identifying objects, people, and concepts in conversation -- from shopping ("I want this one") to giving directions ("that building over there").

Like adjectives, Russian demonstratives agree with the noun they modify in gender, number, and case. This means each demonstrative has multiple forms. The proximity distinction (this vs. that) is less rigidly observed in spoken Russian than in English, with этот being far more common in everyday speech and тот reserved for explicit contrast or distance.

Understanding demonstratives also lays the groundwork for the very common construction "Это + noun" (This is a...), which uses the invariable form это rather than the agreeing forms этот/эта/это.

How It Works

Demonstrative Forms (Nominative Case)

	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
this	этот	эта	это	эти
that	тот	та	то	те

Key Distinctions

1. Это (invariable) vs. этот/эта/это (agreeing):

   • Это книга. = This is a book. (invariable, identifies)
   • Эта книга интересная. = This book is interesting. (agrees with книга, feminine)

2. Тот is used for:

   • Explicit contrast: не этот, а тот (not this one, but that one)
   • Reference to something already mentioned: тот человек, о котором я говорил (that person I was talking about)

Examples in Context

Russian	English	Note
Этот дом большой.	This house is big.	Masculine agreement
Эта книга интересная.	This book is interesting.	Feminine agreement
Это окно открыто.	This window is open.	Neuter agreement
Эти студенты учатся хорошо.	These students study well.	Plural agreement
Тот человек — мой друг.	That person is my friend.	Masculine, distance
Та машина красная.	That car is red.	Feminine, distance
Те студенты учатся хорошо.	Those students study well.	Plural, distance
Это мой дом.	This is my house.	Invariable это
Не этот, а тот.	Not this one, but that one.	Contrast
В то время...	At that time...	Neuter, referring back

Common Mistakes

Confusing invariable это with agreeing этот/эта/это

• Wrong: Этот мой дом. (when meaning "This is my house")
• Right: Это мой дом. (invariable это for identification)
• Why: "This is..." uses invariable это. "This [noun]..." uses the agreeing form.

Using этот where тот is needed for contrast

• Wrong: Не этот дом, а этот дом (confusing)
• Right: Не этот дом, а тот. (clear contrast)
• Why: Тот provides the necessary opposition to этот when contrasting two items.

Forgetting gender agreement

• Wrong: Этот книга (masculine with feminine noun)
• Right: Эта книга
• Why: Demonstratives must match the gender and number of the noun they modify.

Practice Tips

• Point to objects around you and practice: Этот стол, эта ручка, это окно, эти книги. Build automatic gender-matching reflexes.
• Practice the contrast pattern: Не этот, а тот / Не эта, а та to solidify the this/that distinction.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Noun Gender -- gender determines which demonstrative form to use