šis, ši / tas, ta
This and That
šis namas this house · ši knyga this book · tas žmogus that person · ta gatvė that street
How It Works
Near and far. Šis and ši point to something close to you or to the present: šis namas (this house), šiais metais (this year). Tas and ta point to something farther away, or to something you already talked about: tas žmogus (that person), tą dieną (that day). In everyday speech tas can mean "the one we know".
Šitas and šita. Many people say šitas and šita for "this", especially when pointing: Šitas mano, o tas tavo. (This one is mine, and that one is yours.) They change like tas.
The forms. Like adjectives, these words take the gender, number and case of their noun.
šis, šio, šiam, šį, šiuo, šiame · ši, šios, šiai, šią, šia, šioje
tas, to, tam, tą, tuo, tame · ta, tos, tai, tą, ta, toje
Plural: šie, šių, šiems, šiuos, šiais, šiuose · šios, šių, šioms, šias, šiomis, šiose
tie, tų, tiems, tuos, tais, tuose · tos, tų, toms, tas, tomis, tose
Tai is different. Tai alone says what something is: Tai mano knyga. (This is my book.) To point at a noun, use the agreeing form: Ta knyga mano. (That book is mine.) See identifying with tai.
Time words. These words often mark time in the accusative: šį rytą (this morning), šią savaitę (this week), tą vakarą (that evening). For something far away in a story or a book, Lithuanian also has anas and ana.
Examples (6)
- Šis namas labai senas.
This house is very old.
- Ši knyga man patinka.
I like this book.
Word by Word: This book to-me pleases.
- Ar matai tą žmogų?
Do you see that person?
Žmogų is accusative, so tas becomes tą.
- Gyvenu šioje gatvėje.
I live on this street.
The locative gatvėje makes ši become šioje.
- Tie batai per brangūs.
Those shoes are too expensive.
- Šitas mano, o tas tavo.
This one is mine, and that one is yours.
Common Mistakes
Not matching the gender of the noun.
Šis knyga labai įdomi.Ši knyga labai įdomi.Knyga is feminine, so "this" is ši. Šis goes with masculine nouns such as namas.
Leaving the demonstrative in the nominative after a verb.
Aš noriu nusipirkti tas švarkas.Aš noriu nusipirkti tą švarką.The object of nusipirkti is in the accusative, and tas changes with it: tą švarką.
Using tai in front of a noun to mean "that".
Tai knyga yra mano.Ta knyga yra mano.For “that book” as a nominative phrase, use ta knyga. Identifying tai is a different construction. Tai can also be the feminine dative of ta, as in tai mergaitei (to that girl).
How It Connects
Learn This First
Demonstratives agree with the noun they identify.
Related Patterns
- tai + nominativeIdentifying with Tai
Tai says what something is, while šis and tas point to a noun.
Level 1 - anas / anaDistant Anas and Ana
Anas and ana point to something far away and sound bookish.
Level 6 - tas pats / ta patiThe Same One
Tas pats means "the same one" and agrees in the same way.
Level 4 - Adjective Agreement
Demonstratives match their noun just like adjectives do.
Level 1 - Accusative of Time
Time phrases such as šį rytą and tą dieną use the accusative.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice šis, ši / tas, ta in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Lithuanian lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
