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this

(thĭs)

pron. pl. these (thēz)

a. Used to refer to the person or thing present, nearby, or just mentioned: This is my cat. These are my tools.

b. Used to refer to what is about to be said: Now don't laugh when you hear this.

c. Used to refer to the present event, action, or time: said he'd be back before this.

2. Used to indicate the nearer or the more immediate one: This is mine and that is yours.

adj. pl. these

1. Being just mentioned or present in space, time, or thought: She left early this morning.

2. Being nearer or more immediate: this side and that side.

3. Being about to be stated or described: Just wait till you hear this story.

4. Informal Used as a substitute for the indefinite article: looking for this book of recipes.

adv.

To this extent; so: never stayed out this late.

[Middle English, from Old English; see to- in Indo-European roots.]

Usage Note: This and that are both used as demonstrative pronouns to refer to a thought expressed earlier: The letter was unopened; that (or this) in itself casts doubt on the inspector's theory. That is sometimes viewed as the better choice in referring to what has gone before (as in the preceding example). When the referent is yet to be mentioned, only this is used: This (not that) is what bothers me: we have no time to consider late applications. · This is often used in speech and informal writing as a substitute for the indefinite article to refer to a specific thing or person: You should talk to this friend of mine at the Department of Motor Vehicles. I have this terrible feeling that I forgot to turn off the gas. It is best to avoid this substitution in formal writing except when a conversational tone is desired. See Usage Note at that.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

this

(ðɪs)

determiner (used before a singular noun)

a. used preceding a noun referring to something or someone that is closer: distinct from that: this dress is cheaper than that one; look at this picture.

b. (as pronoun): this is Mary and that is her boyfriend; take this.

a. used preceding a noun that has just been mentioned or is understood: this plan of yours won't work.

b. (as pronoun): I first saw this on Sunday.

a. used to refer to something about to be said, read, etc: consider this argument.

b. (as pronoun): listen to this.

a. the present or immediate: this time you'll know better.

b. (as pronoun): before this, I was mistaken.

5. informal often used in storytelling, an emphatic form of a¹, the¹: I saw this big brown bear.

6. this and that various unspecified and trivial actions, matters, objects, etc

7. this here not standard US an emphatic form of this¹, this², this³

8. with this at this after this; thereupon

adv

used with adjectives and adverbs to specify a precise degree that is about to be mentioned: go just this fast and you'll be safe.

[Old English thēs, thēos, this (masculine, feminine, neuter singular); related to Old Saxon thit, Old High German diz, Old Norse thessi]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

this

(ðɪs)

pron.andadj., pl. these (tēz);
adv. pron.

1. (used to indicate a person, thing, idea, or event as present, near, just mentioned, or by way of emphasis): This is my coat.

2. (used to indicate one of two or more persons, things, etc., referring to the one nearer in place, time, or thought; opposed to that): This is Liza and that is Amy.

3. (used to indicate one of two or more persons, things, etc., implying a contrast; opposed to that): Do this, not that.

4. what is about to follow: Watch this!

adj.

5. (used to indicate a person, place, thing, or degree as present, near, or characteristic): This book is mine.

6. (used to indicate the nearer in time, place, or thought of two persons, things, etc.; opposed to that).

7. (used to imply mere contradistinction; opposed to that).

8. (used in place of an indefinite article for emphasis): I heard this funny noise.

adv.

9. (used with adjectives and adverbs of quantity or extent) to the extent indicated: this far.

Idioms:

with this, hereupon: With this, he wept.

[before 900; (pronoun, adj.) Middle English]

this

– that

This and that are determiners or pronouns. The plural form of this is these. The plural form of that is those.

See this - these, that - those

This entry deals with the similarities and differences between the ways in which these words are used.

1. referring back

This, these, that, and those are all used for referring to people, things, or events that have already been mentioned. It is more common to use this and these than that and those.

New machines are more expensive and this is something one has to consider.

So, for all these reasons, my advice is to be very, very careful.

You use that or those when you are referring to something for the second time in a sentence, using the same noun.

I know that what I say to a person is seldom what that person hears.

Students suggest books for the library, and normally we're quite happy to get those books.

You usually use that, rather than 'this', to refer to a statement that someone has just made.

'She was terribly afraid of offending anyone.' – 'That's right.'

'That's a good point,' he said in response to my question.

2. present and past

You can use this or that to talk about events or situations.

You use this to refer to a situation that is continuing to exist, or to an event that is continuing to take place.

'My God,' I said, 'This is awful.'

This whole business has gone on too long.

You use that to refer to an event or situation that has taken place recently.

I knew that meeting would be difficult.

That was a terrible air crash last week.

3. closeness

You use this or these to refer to people or things that are very near to you. For example, you use this to refer to an object you are holding in your hand, or something on a desk or table in front of you.

'What is this?' she said, picking up the parcel on my desk.

Wait a minute. I just have to sort these books out.

You use that or those to refer to people or things that you can see or hear, but that are not very near to you, so that, for example, you cannot put out your hand and touch them.

Look at that bird!

Can you move those boots off there?

When you are comparing two things and one of them is nearer to you than the other, you can use this to refer to the one that is nearer and that to refer to the one that is further away.

This one's nice but I don't like that one much.

this

– these

This and these are used in different ways when you are referring to people, things, situations, events, or periods of time. They can both be determiners or pronouns. These is the plural form of this.

1. referring back

You can use this or these to refer to people, things, or events that have just been mentioned.

He's from the Institute of English Language in Bangkok. This institute has been set up to serve language teachers in the area.

Tax increases may be needed next year to do this.

These particular students are extremely bright.

Don't use 'this' as a pronoun to refer to a person who has just been mentioned. Instead you use he or she.

He was known to everyone as Eddie.

'Bye,' Mary said as she drove away.

In conversation, many people use this and these as determiners even when they are mentioning people or things for the first time.

Then this guy came to the door of the class and he said, 'Mary, you're wanted out here in the hall.'

At school we had to wear these awful white cotton hats.

2. closeness

You can use this or these to refer to people or things that are very near to you. For example, if you are holding a book, you refer to it as 'this book'.

The colonel handed him the bag. 'This is for you,' he said.

Get these kids out of here.

'This' is not usually used as a pronoun to refer to a person. You only use it when you are identifying someone or asking them about their identity. For example, you use this when you are introducing someone. Note that when you are introducing more than one person, you use this, not 'these'.

This is Bernadette, Mr Zapp.

This is my brother Andrew and his wife Claire.

You also use this to say who you are when you phone someone.

Sally? This is Martin Brody.

3. present situations

You can use this to refer to a situation that exists now or to an event that is happening now.

You know a lot about this situation.

4. 'this' and 'these' in time expressions

This is used in the following ways in time expressions:

You use it with morning, afternoon, or evening to refer to the morning, afternoon, or evening of the present day.

I was here this afternoon. Have you forgotten?

However, don't say 'this day'. You say today.

I had a letter today from my solicitor.

Also, don't say 'this night'. You refer to the previous night as last night. You refer to the night of the present day as tonight.

We left our bedroom window open last night.

I think I'll go to bed early tonight.

This week, month, or year means the present week, month, or year.

They're talking about going on strike this week.

You usually use this with weekend or with the name of a day, month, or season to refer to the next weekend or to the next day, month, or season with that name.

Come down there with me this weekend.

Let's fix a time. This Sunday. Four o'clock.

However, you can also use this with one of these words to refer to the previous weekend, or the previous day, month, or season with that name.

This summer they spent £15 million on emergency shelters for the homeless.

These days means 'at the present time'.

The prices these days are absolutely ridiculous.

5. 'that' and 'those'

That and those are used in some similar ways to this and these.

See this - that (for an explanation of the differences)

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

Translations

إلى هذا الحَد، إلى هذه الدَّرَجَههذا هَذَا أَوْ هَذِهِهذا: إشارَةٌ إلى القَريبهذا: للإشارَه

етотова

això

tototentototohletahle

dettedennedetdisseså

dies diese dieser das dieses

αυτός τούτος

esto este éste tan así de

tämäeräsnäinsetällainen

ce ceci cela celui-ci cet

ovajovo

òessi, òettaòessi/òettaòessi/òetta hérnasvona, svo, òettaþað

questo questa questi cos

このこれ

이이, 이것이것

hoc

šitasštai taipvienas toks

šistik

deze dit

denne dette så

ten to ta taki

este isto deste, destes esta

aceastăacestastaăsta

это этот данный настоящий сей

toto

tato

den härdennadet härdetta

นี้สิ่งนี้

bu bu kadar böyle

cái nàynàyngười/vật này

这个这是达到这样的程度这

this

[ðɪs]

A. DEM ADJ (these (pl)) → este/a
this man/book → este hombre/libro
this woman → esta mujer
this evening → esta tarde
this one here → éste/ésta que está aquí, éste/ésta de aquí
it's not that picture but this one I like → no es ese cuadro el que me gusta sino éste
this time → esta vez
this time next week → de hoy en una semana
this time last year → hoy hace un año
this way → por aquí
this week → esta semana
this coming week → esta semana que viene
see also these

B. DEM PRON (these (pl)) → éste/a; (neuter) → esto
who is this? → ¿quién es?
what is this? → ¿qué es esto?
this is new → esto es nuevo
this is Mr Brown (in introductions) → le presento al señor Brown; (in photo) → éste es el señor Brown; (on phone) → soy or habla el señor Brown
I prefer this to that → prefiero esto a aquello
but this is April → pero estamos en abril
this is Friday → hoy es viernes
where did you find this? → ¿dónde encontraste esto?
this is where I live → aquí vivo
"but he's nearly bald" - "this is it" → -pero está casi calvo -ahí está la dificultad
what's all this? → ¿qué pasa?
what's all this I hear about you leaving? → ¿qué es eso de que te vas?
do it like this → hágalo así
it was like this → te diré lo que pasó ...
what with this, that and the other I was busy all week → entre una cosa y otra estuve ocupado toda la semana
they sat talking of this and that → sentados, hablaban de esto y lo otro
see also these

C. DEM ADV
I didn't know it was this far → no sabía que estaba tan lejos
I've never been this far before → nunca había llegado hasta aquí
the wall is this high → la pared es así de alta
he is this high → es así de alto
I've never seen this much money → nunca había visto tanto dinero junto
I can tell you this much → lo que sí te puedo decir es ...

THIS

The masculine and feminine pronouns éste and ésta usually carry accents. In theory, this is to distinguish them from the masculine and feminine adjectives, "este" and "esta". When there is no ambiguity, the accent can be omitted. The neuter pronoun esto does not have an accent as there is no neuter adjective with which to confuse it.

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

this

[ˈðɪs]

dem adj [these] [ˈðiːz] (pl)

(unstressed) → ce(cette), cet before masc noun beginning with a vowel or before mute h, ces pl
Have you read this book? → Avez-vous lu ce livre?
Who is this man? → Qui est cet homme?
Who is this woman? → Qui est cette femme?
Whose are these shoes? → À qui sont ces chaussures?

(stressed, as opposed to that) → ce ... -ci m, cet ... -ci before masc noun beginning with a vowel or before mute h, cette ... -ci f
THIS is the book I wanted → Ce livre-ci est celui que je voulais., C'est ce livre que je voulais.
THIS is the right road → Cette route-ci est la bonne., C'est cette route qui est la bonne.
this one → celui-ci(celle-ci)
"Pass me that pen." - "This one?" → "Passe-moi ce stylo." - "Celui-ci?"
Of the two photos, I prefer this one → Des deux photos, c'est celle-ci que je préfère.
this time → cette fois-ci
this time last year → l'année dernière à la même époque
this way (= in this direction) → par ici (= in this fashion) → de cette façon, ainsi

dem pron [these] [ˈðiːz] (pl)

(as subject of "être") → ce
what's this? → qu'est-ce que c'est?
what are these? → qu'est-ce que c'est?
who's this? → qui est-ce?
this is ...
This is what he said → Voici ce qu'il a dit.
this is Mr. Brown (in introductions) → je vous présente M. Brown; (in photo) → c'est M. Brown; (on telephone) → ici M. Brown
This is Gavin speaking → Gavin à l'appareil.

(= this thing)
You see this? → Tu vois ça?
this and that
They were talking of this and that → Ils parlaient de choses et d'autres.

(as opposed to that) → celui-ci(celle-ci), ceux-là (celles-là)pl → ceci
I want this! → Je veux celui-ci!
I want these! → Je veux ceux-ci!
I'm looking for some sandals. Can I try these? → Je cherche des sandales. Est-ce que je peux essayer celles-ci?
I prefer this to that → je préfère ceci à cela

adv
It was about this big → C'était à peu près grand comme ça.
I didn't know it was this bad → Je ne savais pas que c'était si mauvais., Je ne savais pas que c'était aussi mauvais.

this

dem pron pl <these> → dies, das; what is this? → was ist das (hier)?; who is this? → wer ist das?; this is John → das or dies ist John; these are my children → das or dies sind meine Kinder; this is where I live → hier wohne ich; this is what he showed me → dies or das (hier) hat er mir gezeigt; do you like this? → gefällt dir das?; I prefer this → ich mag das hier or dies(es) lieber; this is to certify that … → hiermit wird bestätigt, dass …; under/in front of etc this → darunter/davor etc; it ought to have been done before this → es hätte schon vorher getan werden sollen; with this he left us → damit or mit diesen Worten verließ er uns; what’s all this? → was soll das?; what’s all this I hear about your new job? → was höre ich da so (alles) über deine neue Stelle?; this and that → mancherlei; we were talking of this and that → wir haben von diesem und jenem or über dies und das geredet; this, that and the other → alles Mögliche; will you take this or that? → nehmen Sie dieses hier oder das da?; it was like this → es war so; this is Friday the 13th → heute ist Freitag der 13.; but this is May → aber es ist doch Mai!; and now this! → und jetzt (auch noch) dies or das!; this is Mary (speaking) → hier (ist) Mary; this is what I mean! → das meine ich (ja)!; this is it! (= now) → jetzt!; (showing sth) → das da!, das ist er/sie/es!; (= exactly) → genau!

dem adj pl <these> → diese(r, s); this week → diese Woche; this month → diesen Monat; this year → dieses Jahr; this evening → heute Abend; this time last week → letzte Woche um diese Zeit; this coming week → jetzt die (kommende) Woche; this time → diesmal, dieses Mal; these days → heutzutage; all this talk → dieses ganze Gerede, all das or dies Gerede; to run this way and that → hin und her rennen; I have been waiting for you this past half-hour → ich habe bereits die letzte halbe Stunde auf dich gewartet; this boy of yours! → also, Ihr Junge!; I met this guy who … (inf) → ich habe (so) einen getroffen, der …; this friend of hers → dieser Freund von ihr (inf), → ihr Freund

dem adv → so; it was this long → es war so lang; this far (time) → bis jetzt; (place) → so weit, bis hierher; this much is certain → so viel ist sicher, eins steht fest

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

this

(ðis) – plural these (ðiːz) – adjective

1. used to indicate a person, thing etc nearby or close in time. This book is better than that (one); I prefer these trousers.

2. used in stories to indicate a person, thing etc that one is describing or about to describe. Then this man arrived.

pronoun

used for a thing etc or a person nearby or close in time. Read this – you'll like it; This is my friend John Smith.

adverb

so; to this degree. I didn't think it would be this easy.

like this

in this way. It would be quicker if you did it like this.

this

→ هذا, هَذَا أَوْ هَذِهِ tahle, tohle, toto denne, det, dette das, dies, dieses αυτός, τούτος este, éste, esto näin, tämä ce, cela, celui-ci ovaj, ovo questo この, これ 이, 이, 이것, 이것 deze, dit denne, dette, så taki, ten, to deste, destes, este, isto это, этот den här, denna, det här, detta นี้, สิ่งนี้ bu cái này, này, người/vật này 这个

References in classic literature ?

I wish you 'd get a color like this, Fanny," said Mr.

View in context

It's never been easy for me to say things out of my heart, but at times like this it's easier.

View in context

Naya Rivera @nayarivera It's the little things like this that make me so happy at home.