этот/тот + Noun

Demonstrative Pronoun Agreement

Level 2Sounds Like étot/tot + suŝestvitelʹnoe

Russian demonstratives этот (this) and тот (that) act like adjectives. They change their endings to match the noun they describe in gender, number, and case.

How It Works

In Russian, demonstrative pronouns are not fixed; they function as modifiers.

1. The Nominative Forms:

  • Masculine: этот / тот
  • Feminine: эта / та
  • Neuter: это / то
  • Plural: эти / те

2. Usage Nuances:
While этот is used for things nearby, it is also the default word for anything currently being discussed. Тот is specifically used when you want to point to something further away, contrast two things, or refer to distant time periods (e.g., в тот день — on that day).

3. Agreement and Declension:
Because they function like adjectives, they must change their endings based on the case of the noun.
• Feminine Accusative: эта becomes эту.
• Prepositional: этот becomes этом. Note that the preposition о changes to об before этом (e.g., об этом).

4. The Animacy Rule:
For masculine singular and all plural forms, the accusative case depends on animacy. If the noun is animate (people or animals), the pronoun matches the Genitive case (этого/того; этих/тех). If inanimate, it matches the Nominative (этот/тот; эти/те).

5. The 'Это' Confusion:
Do not confuse the agreeing pronoun этот/эта/это with the invariable это used for identification.
• Это книга. (This is a book - invariable)
• Эта книга интересная. (This book is interesting - agreeing)

Examples (6)

  1. Я хочу купить эту сумку.

    I want to buy this bag.

    Word by Word: I want to-buy this bag.

    Here, 'эта' changes to 'эту' to match the feminine noun 'сумку' in the accusative case.

  2. В том здании находится аптека.

    A pharmacy is located in that building.

    Word by Word: In that building is-located pharmacy.

    'Тот' changes to 'том' to match the masculine noun 'здании' in the prepositional case.

  3. Я вижу этого человека.

    I see this person.

    Word by Word: I see this person.

    Because 'человек' is animate, the masculine accusative 'этот' changes to 'этого' (matching the genitive).

  4. Мы говорим об этом фильме.

    We are talking about this movie.

    Word by Word: We talk about this movie.

    The preposition 'о' becomes 'об' before the vowel in 'этом'.

  5. В тот день была хорошая погода.

    On that day the weather was good.

    Word by Word: In that day was good weather.

    'Тот' is used here to refer to a specific day in the past.

  6. Мне нравятся эти люди, а не те.

    I like these people, not those (ones).

    Word by Word: To-me like-themselves these people, but not those.

    This shows the plural contrast between 'эти' (these) and 'те' (those).

Common Mistakes

  • 'Это книга очень старая' is a correct sentence, but it means 'This is a book, a very old one'.

    Different MeaningЭто книга очень старая.
    Эта книга очень старая.

    To say that a particular book is very old, use the form that agrees with the noun: 'Эта книга очень старая'.

  • Forgetting to decline the demonstrative in oblique cases.

    Я живу в этот доме.
    Я живу в этом доме.

    The demonstrative must match the case of the noun. Since 'доме' is prepositional, 'этот' must become 'этом'.

How It Connects

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этот/тот + NounLevel 2Demonstrative Pronoun Agreement

Learn This First

To understand how 'этот' and 'тот' change their forms, a learner must first understand the concept of grammatical gender (masculine, feminine, neuter) and number in Russian nouns. Since these demonstratives behave like adjectives, familiarity with basic adjective agreement and possessive pronoun agreement is essential for applying the correct endings.

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Words in This Pattern

тот