šis / šī, tas / tā

This and That

Level 1

Pick the pointing word that matches the noun: šis galds (this table), šī māja (this house), tas vilciens (that train), tā kafejnīca (that café).

How It Works

The forms.

  • masculine singular: šis galds (this table), tas galds (that table)
  • feminine singular: šī māja (this house), tā māja (that house)
  • masculine plural: šie zēni (these boys), tie zēni (those boys)
  • feminine plural: šīs grāmatas (these books), tās grāmatas (those books)

The form follows the gender of the noun. A few nouns in -a are masculine, so it is šis puika (this boy). See masculine and feminine nouns.

Near and far. Šis is for what is close to you in place or time. Tas is for what is farther away, and it is also the everyday word for something already mentioned: Tā kafejnīca ir ļoti laba. (That café is very good.)

Case forms. The pointing words change their endings with the noun. As an object, both genders use šo and to: Es gribu šo kūku. (I want this cake.) The other forms, such as šajā mājā (in this house), are in this and that in other cases.

Standing alone. Without a noun, tas and tā can mean "it" or "that one": Tas ir mans. (That one is mine.) For sentences like Tas ir galds, see this is and that is.

With adjectives. An adjective after a pointing word usually takes the definite ending: šī lielā māja (this big house). You will meet this in definite adjectives after my and this. In casual speech you may hear šitas for šis. It is not used in standard writing.

Examples (6)

  1. Šis galds ir liels.

    This table is big.

    Word by Word: This table is big.

  2. Šī kafija ir karsta.

    This coffee is hot.

    Word by Word: This coffee is hot.

    Kafija is feminine, so this is šī.

  3. Tā kafejnīca ir ļoti laba.

    That café is very good.

    Word by Word: That café is very good.

  4. Šie āboli ir garšīgi.

    These apples are tasty.

    Word by Word: These apples are tasty.

  5. Tās grāmatas ir manas.

    Those books are mine.

    Word by Word: Those books are mine.

  6. Es gribu šo kūku.

    I want this cake.

    Word by Word: I want this cake.

    As an object, šī becomes šo.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the masculine šis with a feminine noun.

    Šis māja ir liela.
    Šī māja ir liela.

    Māja is feminine, so the pointing word is šī.

  • Using tie with a feminine plural noun.

    Tie grāmatas ir manas.
    Tās grāmatas ir manas.

    Tie is only for masculine or mixed plurals. Grāmatas is feminine plural, so use tās.

How It Connects

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

šis / šī, tas / tāLevel 1This and That

Learn This First

Pointing words grow out of tas ir.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

šīšie