Demonstratives 这 and 那 with measure words
A1 指示代词「这、那」加量词 7 / 56
In short
这 (zhè) = “this” (near), 那 (nà) = “that” (far), 哪 (nǎ) = “which”. When you point at a countable noun you cannot say 这书 - you must slot in a measure word: 这 + measure + noun (这本书 = this book). Add a number for more than one: 这两本书 (zhè liǎng běn shū) = these two books.
The rule
The demonstratives are 这 (zhè, “this”), 那 (nà, “that”) and 哪 (nǎ, “which”). Each does two different jobs.
Job 1 - stand alone as a pronoun (subject or topic), most often right before 是 (shì, “to be”). Here you use the bare word, with no measure word:
- 这是我的书。 (Zhè shì wǒ de shū.) - This is my book.
- 那不是问题。 (Nà bù shì wèntí.) - That’s not a problem.
Job 2 - point at a specific noun (a determiner, like English “this book”). Now a measure word is required between the demonstrative and the noun:
这 / 那 / 哪 + (Number) + Measure word + Noun
- 这本书 (zhè běn shū) = this book
- 那三个学生 (nà sān ge xuésheng) = those three students
- 哪个人 (nǎ ge rén) = which person
The measure word must match the noun (本 běn for bound volumes, 个 ge for people and general things, 张 zhāng for flat things). Which measure word to pick is the job of the previous lesson; here just remember that after a demonstrative pointing at a noun, one is always present.
Count of “one” drops 一. For a single item you normally omit 一: say 这本书, not 这一本书. Adding 一 (这一本书) is only for stressing “one single book”.
Plural group with 些. To point at several things without naming a number, use 些 (xiē, “some / several”): 这些 (zhèxiē) = these, 那些 (nàxiē) = those, 哪些 (nǎxiē) = which ones. So 这些书 (zhèxiē shū) = these books. Never put a number between the demonstrative and 些.
The noun can drop out. Once both speakers know what is being pointed at, the noun is simply left off and 这 / 那 / 哪 + measure word stands on its own: 这条太长了，我换那条 (zhè tiáo tài cháng le, wǒ huàn nà tiáo) = this one’s too long, I’ll swap it for that one; 哪份是给我的？ (nǎ fèn shì gěi wǒ de?) = which one is for me? The measure word stays - it is what says which kind of thing is meant - so this is not the bare 这 / 那 of Job 1: say 我要这个, never 我要这.
Place words. Add 儿 (or 里) to make “here / there”: 这儿 / 这里 (zhèr / zhèlǐ) = here; 那儿 / 那里 (nàr / nàlǐ) = there. These behave like place nouns: 我在这儿 (wǒ zài zhèr) = I’m here. (The matching question word 哪儿 “where?” is covered in the questions lesson.)
Pronunciation. In careful, standard speech these are zhè / nà / nǎ. Casually, when a measure word follows, many speakers fuse them to zhèi / nèi / něi (这个 heard as zhèige). Both are correct; HSK and dictionaries use zhè / nà / nǎ.
Forms & patterns
The demonstrative paradigm:
| Meaning | Pronoun (alone) | + measure + noun | Plural (+ 些) | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| near - “this” | 这 zhè | 这本书 zhè běn shū | 这些 zhèxiē | 这儿 / 这里 zhèr / zhèlǐ |
| far - “that” | 那 nà | 那本书 nà běn shū | 那些 nàxiē | 那儿 / 那里 nàr / nàlǐ |
| ”which?” | 哪 nǎ | 哪本书 nǎ běn shū | 哪些 nǎxiē | 哪儿 (see Lesson 12) |
How the slots fill:
| Pattern | Example | Gloss |
|---|---|---|
| 这/那 + 是 + Noun | 这是书 (zhè shì shū) | this is a book |
| 这/那 + Measure + Noun | 那个人 (nà ge rén) | that person |
| 这/那 + Number + Measure + Noun | 这三本书 (zhè sān běn shū) | these three books |
| 这/那 + 些 + Noun | 那些孩子 (nàxiē háizi) | those children |
Examples
- 这是我的手机。 (Zhè shì wǒ de shǒujī.) - This is my phone.
- 那本书很有意思。 (Nà běn shū hěn yǒuyìsi.) - That book is very interesting.
- 你要哪个？ (Nǐ yào nǎ ge?) - Which one do you want?
- 这两个苹果是你的。 (Zhè liǎng ge píngguǒ shì nǐ de.) - These two apples are yours.
- 我喜欢这件衣服。 (Wǒ xǐhuan zhè jiàn yīfu.) - I like this piece of clothing.
- 那些人都是老师。 (Nàxiē rén dōu shì lǎoshī.) - Those people are all teachers.
- 这儿有一家饭馆。 (Zhèr yǒu yì jiā fànguǎn.) - There’s a restaurant here.
- 这些字我不认识。 (Zhèxiē zì wǒ bù rènshi.) - I don’t recognize these characters.
- 哪些学生去中国？ (Nǎxiē xuésheng qù Zhōngguó?) - Which students are going to China?
Common mistakes
- 这书 -> 这本书 (zhè běn shū) - a demonstrative pointing at a noun needs a measure word; 这 cannot sit directly on most nouns.
- 这一个人 (for plain “this person”) -> 这个人 (zhè ge rén) - drop 一 for a single item; 这个 already means “this (one)”.
- 这些三本书 -> 这三本书 (zhè sān běn shū) - use 些 for an unspecified group OR a number + measure, never both. 些 already means “several”.
- 那本书好？ (meaning “which book is good?”) -> 哪本书好？ (nǎ běn shū hǎo?) - 那 (nà) = “that” (a statement); 哪 (nǎ) = “which” (a question).
Tips
- Fixed order inside the phrase: demonstrative -> number -> measure -> noun (这 + 三 + 本 + 书). Nothing slots in before the demonstrative.
- 那 (nà) vs 哪 (nǎ): 哪 has an extra 口 (mouth) on the left and asks “which?”; 那 just states “that”. Same shape - listen for the tone, falling nà vs dipping nǎ.
- Alone before 是, use no measure word: say 这是书 (zhè shì shū), not 这本是书. The measure word appears only when the demonstrative directly points at the noun.
- Colloquial fusion zhèi / nèi / něi (as in 这个 = zhèige) is everyday speech; stick with zhè / nà / nǎ for HSK and clear pronunciation.