pron.
these
这些
Common Usage & Traps
- 这些人 — these people
- 这些东西 — these things
- 这些水果 — these fruits
- 这些水 — these waters / these portions of water
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这些人们这些人这些 already marks plural, so adding 们 to 人 is redundant and sounds off.
When do you use 这些 instead of 那些?
这些 points to things close to you; 那些 points to things farther away.
Use 这些 when the stuff is close to your hand, screen, or current message. Use 那些 when the stuff is across the room or clearly not near you. For two piles, 这些 is the near pile and 那些 is the far pile.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Nearby things | 这些是我的 | 那些是我的 if you are pointing at stuff by your hand |
| Faraway things | 那些是你的 | 这些是你的 if you are pointing across the room |
| Two groups | 这些给你，那些给他 | 这些给你，这些给他 when one group is far away |
Do you always need a noun after 这些?
No. 这些 can stand alone when the noun is obvious.
Chinese does not force a noun after 这些 when everyone knows what you mean. You can point at a bag and say 这些是水果, meaning “these are fruit.” If you add a noun, 这些水果 is also fine. “我买了鸡蛋、面包、牛奶，还有一些水果，这些都是你和我的吃的和喝的东西，还有给我们的小猫和小狗吃的东西。” (I bought eggs, bread, milk, and some fruit; these are food and drinks for you and me, and food for our cat and dog.) ── [《吃的东西和喝的东西》](/read/buying-food-drinks#s10)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Standalone | 这些是我的 | 这些我的 |
| With noun | 这些书很贵 | 这些很贵书 |
| Question form | 这些是什么？ | 什么这些是？ |
Can you say 这些水 for “this water”?
Only if you mean multiple cups, bottles, or kinds of water.
English says “these water” only in weird cases, but Chinese allows 这些水 for several portions. One glass is normally 这杯水, not 这些水. Use 这些水 when you mean multiple bottles, cups, or types.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| One glass | 这杯水 | 这些水 when you only mean one glass |
| Several bottles | 这些水 | 这水 when you mean several bottles |
| Water in general | 水很重要 | 这些水很重要 for water in general |
Featured in Story Deep Dive
Follow how this word unfolds across the narrative arc of this graded story.
This is a short dialogue about a shopping trip. A woman buys many things, including food, drinks, furniture, and pet food, while her boyfriend reminds her not to overspend.
- Scene #1
我买了鸡蛋、面包、牛奶，还有一些水果， 这些 都是你和我的吃的和喝的东西，还有给我们的小猫和小狗吃的东西。
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