цей/той

Demonstrative Pronoun Agreement

Level 2Sounds Like vkazívní zajmenniki cej/toj

Use цей for things near you ('this') and той for things further away ('that'). These words change their endings to match the noun's gender and number.

How It Works

Demonstrative pronouns are essential for pointing out specific objects or ideas. In Ukrainian, they follow the rules of adjective gender agreement, number, and case agreement.

1. The Proximal: Цей (This)
Used for objects close to the speaker.

  • Masculine: цей (цей стіл)
  • Feminine: ця (ця книга)
  • Neuter: це (це вікно)
  • Plural: ці (ці люди)

2. The Distal: Той (That)
Used for objects further away.

  • Masculine: той (той будинок)
  • Feminine: та (та машина)
  • Neuter: те (те слово)
  • Plural: ті (ті дні)

3. Emphatic Forms
You can add the prefix о- (оцей, оця, отой, ота) to add emphasis, similar to saying "this one right here" or "that one over there." These are expressive variants common in spoken language and literature, but they are avoided in formal, scientific, and official-business contexts.

4. Case Agreement and Animacy
These pronouns must change their endings to match the noun's case. A critical rule involves animacy in the accusative case:

  • Inanimate: For masculine, neuter, and plural inanimate nouns, the form stays like the Nominative (Я бачу цей стіл / ці столи). Note that feminine singular always changes to the Accusative (цю / ту) regardless of animacy.
  • Animate: For masculine singular and most animate plural nouns, the form matches the Genitive (Я бачу цього хлопця / цих дівчат). However, neuter animate singular nouns (like маля, дитя) take the Nominative form (Я бачу це маля). Additionally, for plural domestic animals and livestock, the Accusative can match either the Genitive or the Nominative (Я пасу цих корів / ці корови).

Common changes include:

  • Genitive: цього / того (masc/neut), цієї / тієї (or alternatives цеї / тої) (fem), цих / тих (plural).
  • Dative: цьому / тому (masc/neut), цій / тій (fem), цим / тим (plural).
  • Accusative (Fem): цю / ту.
  • Instrumental: цим / тим (masc/neut), цією / тією (or alternatives цею / тою) (fem), цими / тими (plural).
  • Locative: на цьому / на тому (or alternative на цім / на тім) (masc/neut), на цій / на тій (fem), на цих / на тих (plural).

5. The Invariant 'Це'
Do not confuse the neuter pronoun це (this) with the invariant identification marker це. When identifying something ("This is a..."), це never changes (e.g., Це мій брат vs Це моя сестра).

Examples (6)

  1. Цей будинок дуже старий.

    This building is very old.

    Word by Word: This building very old.

    'Цей' is masculine to match the masculine noun 'будинок'.

  2. Мені подобається ця машина.

    I like this car.

    Word by Word: To me pleases this car.

    'Ця' is feminine to match the feminine noun 'машина'.

  3. Я бачу цього хлопця.

    I see this boy.

    Word by Word: I see this boy.

    Because 'хлопець' is animate, the masculine demonstrative 'цей' changes to 'цього' in the accusative case.

  4. Я бачу ці дерева.

    I see these trees.

    Word by Word: I see these trees.

    'Ці' is the plural form, matching the plural noun 'дерева'. Since trees are inanimate, the form remains the same as the nominative.

  5. Отой чоловік — мій батько.

    That man over there is my father.

    Word by Word: That-emphatic man — my father.

    The prefix 'о-' is added to 'той' to emphasize a specific person further away.

  6. Це яблуко солодке, а те кисле.

    This apple is sweet, but that one is sour.

    Word by Word: This apple sweet, and that sour.

    Here 'це' and 'те' are neuter to match 'яблуко'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the masculine 'цей' for all nouns regardless of gender.

    цей книга
    ця книга

    In Ukrainian, demonstratives must agree with the noun's gender. Since 'книга' is feminine, you must use 'ця'.

  • Confusing the agreeing 'це' with the invariant 'це' (This is...).

    Ця є моя сестра.
    Це моя сестра.

    When identifying something ('This is...'), use the invariant 'це' without a copula. The agreeing form 'ця' would only be used if you were saying 'This sister (is tall)'.

How It Connects

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цей/тойLevel 2Demonstrative Pronoun Agreement

Learn This First

To use demonstrative pronouns like 'цей' and 'той', you must first understand the concept of grammatical gender in Ukrainian nouns, as these pronouns must agree with the gender of the noun they modify.

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цейтой