A1
这 and 那 — this and that
How 这 and 那 work in Chinese, why they need a measure word before a noun, and the two extra jobs 那 does that catch learners out.
这 is this and 那 is that. On their own, in front of a verb, they behave exactly as you would expect.
这是茶。
Zhè shì chá.
This is tea.
那是什么？
Nà shì shénme?
What’s that?
In front of a noun, they need a measure word
Pointing at a thing counts as specifying it, and specifying a noun in Chinese means a measure word appears. The same one the noun would take with a number.
这本书很好。
Zhè běn shū hěn hǎo.
This book is good.
那只猫是我的。
Nà zhī māo shì wǒ de.
That cat is mine.
这书很好。
这本书很好。
这 cannot sit directly on a noun. If you do not know the right measure word, 个 is understood — 这个书 sounds like a learner, 这书 sounds unfinished.
个 is the measure word you will meet most, so 这个 and 那个 are by far the commonest forms of all — and the pair works on its own with no noun behind it.
那个人是谁？
Nàge rén shì shéi?
Who’s that person?
我要这个，不要那个。
Wǒ yào zhège, bú yào nàge.
I want this one, not that one.
With a number as well, the order is 这 · number · measure word · noun: 这三本书, these three books.
Here and there
这儿 and 那儿 are the places. In the south and in writing you will see 这里 and 那里 instead; they mean the same thing.
我住在这儿。
Wǒ zhù zài zhèr.
I live here.
他在那里工作。
Tā zài nàli gōngzuò.
He works there.
Note that 哪 — which, where — is one dot away from 那 and a different tone. 那 is falling, 哪 is falling-rising, and in speech they are unmistakable.
Plurals
这些 and 那些 are these and those, and they take no measure word — 些 is already doing that job.
这些人都是我朋友。
Zhèxiē rén dōu shì wǒ péngyou.
These people are all my friends.
那 also means “in that case”
At the start of a sentence, 那 stops pointing at anything and becomes a conversational hinge — well then, in that case. It is extremely common in speech and reads as a typo until you have met it once.
那我们走吧。
Nà wǒmen zǒu ba.
Let’s go, then.
The distance is not always physical
这 covers what is near the speaker in space, in time, or in the conversation. Chinese reaches for 这 in places English would use that — 这是我说的, that’s what I said — because the thing referred to was just mentioned and is therefore close.