Shopping — this / that / whose

これ / それ / あれこれ / それ / あれ — this / that / that over there

Demonstratives

Stand-alone “thing” words: これ = near me, それ = near you, あれ = away from both.

これは　じしょです。

This is a dictionary.

それは　わたしの　かさです。

That (near you) is my umbrella.

これ／それ／あれ are pronouns — they replace the noun and cannot be followed directly by another noun. The choice depends on distance: これ near the speaker, それ near the listener, あれ far from both.

The matching “which?” word is どれ.

この / その / あの＋ Nこの / その / あの + noun

Demonstratives

Use this set directly before a noun: この本 = “this book”. Never use これ before a noun.

この　本は　わたしのです。

この　ほんは　わたしのです。

This book is mine.

あの　人は　ミラーさんです。

あの　ひとは　ミラーさんです。

That person over there is Mr Miller.

この／その／あの always attach to a following noun. Same distance logic as これ／それ／あれ, but these describe the noun instead of replacing it.

Rule of thumb: これ stands alone; この needs a noun after it. The matching “which N?” is どの N.

ここ / そこ / あそこここ / そこ / あそこ — here / there / over there

Demonstratives

Place words: ここ near me, そこ near you, あそこ away from both. Polite: こちら／そちら／あちら.

ここは　じむしょです。

This place is the office.

トイレは　あそこです。

The toilet is over there.

ここ／そこ／あそこ follow the same near/mid/far logic as これ／それ／あれ, but point at places. こちら／そちら／あちら are the polite versions (also “this way / direction”).

だれの Nだれの — whoseGenki

Question word

だれ (who) + の asks who something belongs to: だれのかばんですか = “Whose bag is this?”

これは　だれの　かばんですか。…ソラさんのです。

Whose bag is this? … It's Sora's.

Built on the possessive N の N: the question word for “whose” is だれの. The answer reuses の and usually drops the noun: ソラさんの(かばん)です.

N もも — also, too

も particle

Replace は with も to say “also” — when the topic shares the same predicate as something already mentioned.

グプタさんも　会社員です。

グプタさんも　かいしゃいんです。

Mr Gupta is also an employee.

も takes the exact place where は would go and means “too / also”. It signals that the new topic gets the same comment as the previous one.

N は N じゃありませんA is not B

です / copula

The negative of です is じゃありません (polite: ではありません).

サントスさんは　学生じゃ　ありません。

サントスさんは　がくせいじゃ　ありません。

Mr Santos is not a student.

わたしは　先生では　ありません。

わたしは　せんせいでは　ありません。

I am not a teacher.

To make “A is B” negative, replace です with じゃありません. じゃ is the casual/spoken form; ではありません is its more formal equivalent (では is read “dewa”).

～ね / ～よね / よ — sentence-final particlesGenki

ね / よ

ね seeks the listener's agreement (“…, right?”); よ asserts something you think they don't yet know (“I tell you”).

リーさんの　せんこうは　ぶんがくですね。

Your major is literature, right?

とんかつは　さかなじゃ　ないですよ。

Tonkatsu isn't fish, you know.

ね at the very end invites the listener to confirm or agree — it assumes you both share the information (“…, isn't it?”).

よ marks information you believe is new to the listener and want to assert. Overusing よ can sound pushy, so use it when you're genuinely informing or reassuring.

← Grammar

Shopping — this / that / whose

これ / それ / あれこれ / それ / あれ — this / that / that over there

Demonstratives

Stand-alone “thing” words: これ = near me, それ = near you, あれ = away from both.

これは　じしょです。

This is a dictionary.

それは　わたしの　かさです。

That (near you) is my umbrella.

The matching “which?” word is どれ.

この / その / あの＋ Nこの / その / あの + noun

Demonstratives

Use this set directly before a noun: この本 = “this book”. Never use これ before a noun.

この　本は　わたしのです。

この　ほんは　わたしのです。

This book is mine.

あの　人は　ミラーさんです。

あの　ひとは　ミラーさんです。

That person over there is Mr Miller.

この／その／あの always attach to a following noun. Same distance logic as これ／それ／あれ, but these describe the noun instead of replacing it.

Rule of thumb: これ stands alone; この needs a noun after it. The matching “which N?” is どの N.

ここ / そこ / あそこここ / そこ / あそこ — here / there / over there

Demonstratives

Place words: ここ near me, そこ near you, あそこ away from both. Polite: こちら／そちら／あちら.

ここは　じむしょです。

This place is the office.

トイレは　あそこです。

The toilet is over there.

だれの Nだれの — whoseGenki

Question word

だれ (who) + の asks who something belongs to: だれのかばんですか = “Whose bag is this?”

これは　だれの　かばんですか。…ソラさんのです。

Whose bag is this? … It's Sora's.

Built on the possessive N の N: the question word for “whose” is だれの. The answer reuses の and usually drops the noun: ソラさんの(かばん)です.

N もも — also, too

も particle

Replace は with も to say “also” — when the topic shares the same predicate as something already mentioned.

グプタさんも　会社員です。

グプタさんも　かいしゃいんです。

Mr Gupta is also an employee.

も takes the exact place where は would go and means “too / also”. It signals that the new topic gets the same comment as the previous one.

N は N じゃありませんA is not B

です / copula

The negative of です is じゃありません (polite: ではありません).

サントスさんは　学生じゃ　ありません。

サントスさんは　がくせいじゃ　ありません。

Mr Santos is not a student.

わたしは　先生では　ありません。

わたしは　せんせいでは　ありません。

I am not a teacher.

To make “A is B” negative, replace です with じゃありません. じゃ is the casual/spoken form; ではありません is its more formal equivalent (では is read “dewa”).

～ね / ～よね / よ — sentence-final particlesGenki

ね / よ

ね seeks the listener's agreement (“…, right?”); よ asserts something you think they don't yet know (“I tell you”).

リーさんの　せんこうは　ぶんがくですね。

Your major is literature, right?

とんかつは　さかなじゃ　ないですよ。

Tonkatsu isn't fish, you know.

ね at the very end invites the listener to confirm or agree — it assumes you both share the information (“…, isn't it?”).

よ marks information you believe is new to the listener and want to assert. Overusing よ can sound pushy, so use it when you're genuinely informing or reassuring.