онзи/онази/онова/онези

That and Those

Level 2Sounds Like onzi/onazi/onova/onezi

Този means "this" (near). For "that" (farther away), use онзи (masculine), онази (feminine), онова (neuter) or онези (plural): онзи човек (that man), онези къщи (those houses).

How It Works

1. The forms.

  • masculine: онзи град (that city)
  • feminine: онази жена (that woman)
  • neuter: онова село (that village)
  • plural (all genders): онези деца (those children)

2. Near and far. Compare this and these: Тази книга е моя, а онази е твоя. (This book is mine, and that one is yours.)

3. No article on the noun. The demonstrative already makes the noun definite, so the noun stays without an ending: онзи човек, онези къщи. An adjective can come in between: онази голяма къща (that big house).

4. Standing alone. Without a noun, the form still matches what you mean: Кое искаш — това или онова? (Which one do you want, this one or that one?) Онези там са моите. (Those over there are mine.)

5. A useful phrase. Онзи ден means "the day before yesterday": Видях я онзи ден. (I saw her the day before yesterday.)

Good to know: in everyday speech you will also hear оня, оная, онуй and ония. These forms are informal. In standard writing, use онзи, онази, онова and онези.

Examples (6)

  1. Онзи човек е моят учител.

    That man is my teacher.

    Човек is masculine, so it takes онзи.

  2. Виждаш ли онази червена кола?

    Do you see that red car?

    An adjective can stand between онази and the noun.

  3. Онова село е много старо.

    That village is very old.

    Село is neuter, so it takes онова.

  4. Онези къщи са нови.

    Those houses are new.

    Онези is used for every plural noun.

  5. Не искам това, искам онова.

    I don't want this one, I want that one.

    Това and онова stand alone without a noun.

  6. Видях я онзи ден.

    I saw her the day before yesterday.

    Онзи ден is a fixed phrase for "the day before yesterday".

Common Mistakes

  • Using the masculine form with a feminine noun.

    Онзи жена е лекарка.
    Онази жена е лекарка.

    Жена is feminine, so the demonstrative must be онази.

  • Adding the article to the noun.

    Харесвам онази къщата.
    Харесвам онази къща.

    After онзи, онази, онова or онези, the noun has no article.

  • Using the neuter singular with a plural noun.

    Онова деца играят навън.
    Онези деца играят навън.

    Деца is plural, so it takes онези, even though дете is neuter in the singular.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

онзи/онази/онова/онезиLevel 2That and Those

Learn This First

That and those follow this and these.

Words in This Pattern

онзи