“this” - it is used in many impersonal sentences, where it is almost always omitted when translated into Russian. The plural is not so simple. But first things first.

Functions of the pronoun it

1. As a personal pronoun

   Everything is simple here - the pronoun it replaces an inanimate noun:

   I have an apple. It is green- I have an apple. It's green.
   Give me that laptop. It is on the table Give me that laptop. He lies on the table.

2. It as an impersonal pronoun

   Here the pronoun it already has many more functions. Please note that in many cases where it is used as an impersonal pronoun, it is omitted when translated into Russian.

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   • Indicates a fact or situation that is known or happening at the moment:

     When the factory closes, it will mean 500 people losing their jobs When a factory closes, that means 500 people lose their jobs.
     Yes, I was at home on Sunday. What about it? Yes, I was at home on Sunday. So what?

   • Is the subject of an impersonal verb:

     It is snowing on the mountains- It's snowing in the mountains.
     It is Sunday today- Today is Sunday.

   • Performs the function of a formal subject:

     It is not easy to defeat him It's not easy to defeat him.
     It is dangerous to play with fire- It is dangerous to play with fire.

   • As part of the construction it is + noun + who / that focuses on any part of the sentence:

     It was Susie who painted this picture It was Susie who painted this picture.
     It was John who broke the window It was John who broke the window.

   • It acts as the subject when it comes to date, time, distance:

     It's ten past twelve- It's half past one.
     It's two miles to the beach“It's two miles from the beach.

   • Used in the passive voice:

     It was decided that we should all swim across the lake before breakfast It was decided that we should all swim on the lake before breakfast.
     It is accepted that research into cancer has advanced considerably in the last few years– It is believed that research in the field of cancer has advanced significantly in the last few years.

3. As a demonstrative pronoun.

   In this role, the pronoun it is used in cases where in a conversation I introduce myself or ask about the identity of the interlocutor:

   Who is it?- Who's that?
   Hello, it's Jane Hello, this is Jane.

Plural pronoun it

The pronoun it is not used in the plural. In this case, they is used instead. They has three forms: the subject they, the object them, and the possessive form their(s). They and its forms are only used as personal pronouns:

They study English- They are learning English.
I gave them my English textbook I gave them my English textbook.
Their English friend never liked me Their English friend never liked me.





Exceptions and Features

The exceptions related to it concern the use of this pronoun with animate objects. There are three cases where it is used with animate objects.

With animals:

Look at this snake: it sleeps– Look at this snake: it is sleeping.
I love my dog. It is almost human- I love my dog. She is almost human.

With babies:

This baby is hungry, it hasn't been eating for three hours This child is hungry, he has not eaten for three hours.
The baby is crying. It must be hungry- The baby is crying. He must be hungry.

When in a conversation someone introduces themselves or asks about the identity of the interlocutor:

Who is it? It's your wife- Who is it? Is it your wife.

The peculiarities of the pronoun it include the confusion that often occurs when using the abbreviated form it is - it’s (this) and the possessive pronoun its (his). It is important to remember the difference between them and that these options are not interchangeable. Compare two examples:

It's an apple- This is an Apple.
Look at this tree. Its apples are gree n - Look at this tree. His apples are green.

Useful video on the topic:

- such a topic, without which it is impossible and even difficult to express the simplest English sentence. Therefore, it is worth studying this whole thing a little and reinforcing yourself with a couple of new words, or if you already know a basic level of English, you can subtract something new for yourself.

The author of this article did not want to write a lot about the entire grammar of pronouns in the English language in order to free your mind from unnecessary classifications and other heresy, so the most “meat” that is most often used in the English language is posted here.

Starting with the basics of the English language, let's remember what we knew or did not know, the pronouns that answer the question "Who?". There are not so many of them, only 7 pieces.

№	Pronoun	Pronoun	Transcription	Pronunciation	Example
1	I	I		ah	I love to eat
2	You you	You		Yu	You took $5
3	We	We		vii	We work every day
4	They are	They	[ðei]	zey	They went to sleep
5	He	He		hee	He is a doctor
6	She is	She	[∫i:]	shea	She likes to dance
7	He she it	It		it	It ran to the guys

In graphic format:

Let's look at a couple of nuances:

• The pronoun "It" replaces all inanimate objects, as well as animals:

Where is the book? It is on the table. - Where is the book? She is on the table.

My cat is very funny. It runs and jumps all day long. – My cat is very funny. He runs and jumps all day.

Important: Do not replace people with "It". For third parties, only the pronouns "He", "She" and "They"!

• To the verbs that come after the pronouns "He", "She" and "It", in the present tense we add the ending "-s" or "-es" after the endings -ch, -x, -sh, -ss, -s, -o:

He love sme. - He loves me.

She open s the windows every morning. She opens the windows every morning.

The dog like s to bark. This dog likes to bark.

• In English, the pronoun "I - I" is always capitalized.
• The pronoun "You" can be used to refer to one person or to a group of people.
• The pronoun "You", when addressed in writing, is not capitalized (unless it is at the beginning of a sentence). To express respect for another person, other verbal expressions are used.

All these pronouns in English can bend. Namely, all of them can answer the question “Whom? To whom?":

№	Pronoun	Who?	Pronoun	Whom? To whom?	Pronunciation	Example
1	I	I	me, me	me	mi	give me money
2	You you	you	you, you	you	Yu	I love you
3	We	we	us, us	us	ace	They see us
4	They are	they	them, them	them	zem	Do it for them
5	He	he	him, him	him	chem	She go to him
6	She is	she	her, her	her	hye	I left with her
7	He she it	it	him, him, her	it	it	medicine helped it

To consolidate, let's take more detailed examples:

• I gave you key. - I gave you the key.
• They don't give me to train. They don't let me train.
• Do do you understand me? - You understand me?
• They will not understand us. They won't understand us.
• I helped them. - I helped them.
• I heard that you have a new notebook. Show me please. I heard that you have a new laptop. Show it to me please.

Also, all these 7 basic pronouns can decline and answer the question “Whose?” or "Whose?":

№	Pronoun	Who?	Pronoun	Whose? Whose?	Transcription	Pronunciation
1	I	I	my my	my		May
2	You you	you	yours, yours	your		yoar
3	We	we	is our	our	[‘aΩə]	ave
4	They are	they	them	their	[ðεə]	zea
5	He	he	his	his		hiz
6	She is	she	her	her		hye
7	He she it	it	his her	its		its

For example (for example):

• Will I take your car? - Can I take your car?
• I bought their house yesterday. I bought their house yesterday.
• She will finish her project tonight. She will finish her project at night.
• The monkey did it's hands. The monkey did it with her own hands.
• This is my friends. - These are my friends.

The note; do not confuse "It's - it is" and its!

And let's summarize everything in a general table:

№	Pronoun (who?)	Pronoun (of whom? to whom?)	Pronoun (whose? whose?)
1	I - I	me - me, me	my - my, mine
2	You - you, you	you - you, you	your - yours, yours, yours
3	We - We	us - us, us	our - our
4	They - They	them - them, them	their - their
5	He - He	him - him, him	his - his
6	She - She	her - her, her	her - her
7	It - he, she, it (subject)	it - him, him, her (subject)	its - his, her (object, animal)

Analyze this block again. We know that in total there are 7 basic pronouns that can answer the question “Who?” Or the question “Whom? To whom?”, or to the question “Whose? Whose?". And if you have well fixed this material, then we move on.

The pronoun "it" has several important functions in English:

First, we learned that the pronoun "it" is used to replace the names of all objects, animals, and any other animate or inanimate phenomena. In short, everything except people!

Secondly, the pronoun "it" means or is translated as "it". Example:

• It is very interesting - This is very interesting.
• It's Mike. Open the door! - This is Mike. Open the door!
• It's her new style. This is her new style.
• Who is it? - Who is it?

Well, in the third, the pronoun “it” is not translated at all, but is used simply to say about the weather, time, condition, etc. Example:

• It is frost - frost (on the street).
• It is bright day - a wonderful day.
• It will be windy - It will be windy.
• It's 5 o'clock - five hours
• It's was cool - It was cool.
• It will be very funny - It will be very fun.

In English, our basic pronouns answer the question "Whose?" or “Whose?”, can be converted into an absolute form in order to avoid repetition of the defined subject, namely:

№	Pronoun (whose? whose?)	Absolute pronoun	Transcription	Pronunciation
1	my - my, mine	mine - mine, mine		lane
2	your - yours, yours	yours - yours, yours		years
3	our - our	ours - our	[‘auəz]	avez
4	their - their	theirs - their	[ðεəz]	zeaz
5	his - his	his - his		hiz
6	her - her	hers - her		hez
7	its - him, her	its - him, her		its

Let's represent these pronouns graphically:

Example:

• Did you see my keys? - No, I didn't. But mine is here. (mine instead of my keys)

Have you seen my keys? No, but mine are here.

• Your tables are smaller than theirs . (theirs instead of their tables)

Your tables are smaller than theirs.

• Whose car is this? - It's hers. (hers instead of her car)

Whose car is this? - It is her .

Thus, this absolute form frees us from the repetition of objects and indicates the owner of these very objects.

And the last important transformation of our base pronouns is independent pronouns. How is it correct to say in English “self, self, self, self” and show independence of action? Let's take a look:

№	Pronoun (who?)	pronoun (himself)	Transcription	Pronunciation
1	I - I	myself - myself		may-self
2	You - you, you (singular)	yourself - you yourself		yoa-self
2	You - you (plural)	yourselves - you yourself		ea-sales
3	We - we	ourselves - we ourselves	['auə'selvz]	ave-selvs
4	They - they	themselves - they themselves	[ðəm'selvz]	zem-selvs
5	He - he	himself - he himself		chem-self
6	She - she	herself - she herself		hyo-self
7	It - he, she, it	itself - it is itself		it-self

Example:

• I will do it myself - I will do it myself.
• It subsided itself - It subsided by itself.
• She will not do it herself - She will not do it herself.
• Will you call her yourself? Will you call her yourself?
• You can do it yourselves - You yourself can do it.
• They cope themselves - they can handle themselves

There are pronouns in English that, when combined with the words "thing, one, body, where", form another set of commonly used pronouns. Let's take a look at these pronouns:

• some - some;
• any - any;
• every - everyone;
• no - negative prefix;

All these pronouns, in combination with the above words, generate new words:

Union	Thing	Body		Where
some	something anything something	somebody anyone someone	someone anyone someone	somewhere somewhere somewhere
	anything anything any	anyone anyone any	anyone anyone any	anywhere somewhere everywhere
	nothing nothing	nobody none	no one none	nowhere nowhere
every	everything all	everybody all	everyone everyone	everywhere everywhere

In this table, if you notice, there are some pitfalls:

1. Combinations with the pronouns some and any are translated in the same way, but in the context they are used differently, since "any" means "any", and "some" means "some". In affirmative sentences, the pronoun "some" is almost always used,and in interrogative or negative sentences - any. For example:

• Is anyone here? – Is there anyone here?
• I feel someone was here. – I feel someone was here.
• I didn't see anyone there. “I didn't see anyone there.

2. Transforms with "-body" and "-one" are synonyms. It doesn't matter whether you say "everybody" or you say "everyone". Combinations with "-one" are more modern in American English and therefore you will hear them more often.

3. It would be possible to add the word "-time" here and also get a series of combinations (sometimes, anytime, everytime, no time). But in American English, only one is used - sometimes (sometimes). For others, there are analogues:

• instead of "no time" - never - never;
• instead of "everytime" - always - always;

It is important that it is not a mistake to use any combination with "-time". They are just rarely used. Moreover, “everytime” is more likely to be translated as “every time”, and it is perfect for strengthening the expression:

• You always clean your shoes - You clean your shoes always.
• Every time you clean your shoes - Everytime you clean your shoes.

There are also frequently used combinations with the pronoun "any":

• anyhow - as you like;
• anyway - in any case, however;
• anytime - at any time;

And simple examples with these pronouns:

• Sometimes I feel myself very good - Sometimes I feel very good;
• I know someone of you was in a club yesterday - I know that one of you was in the club yesterday;
• Nobody know about it - Nobody knows about it (in English there can be only one negation in a sentence);
• Call her and tell that I will be somewhere in the center about 8 o'clock - call her and tell her that I will be somewhere in the center around 8 o'clock;
• Everybody rest now. Come later - Now everyone is resting. Check back later

And now let's quickly go over the small pronouns.

Meet the pronoun "each other", translated as "each other." Can be combined with prepositions:

• for each other - for each other;
• with each other - with each other;
• without each other - each without a friend;
• about each other - about each other;

Example:

• They do it for each other - They do it for each other.
• Will you exchange with each other? - Do you trade with each other?
• We can't live without each other - We cannot live without each other.
• Sometimes they tell funny stories about each other - Sometimes they tell funny stories about each other.

Pronoun	Transcription	Pronunciation
this - this	[ðɪs]	sis
that - that	[ðæt]	zet
these - these	[ði:z]	ziiiis
those - those	[ðəuz]	zous

In graphic format:

Example:

• I ran this morning - I ran this morning.
• We were there that evening - We were there that evening.
• These books are ours - These books are ours.
• She went there to ask those guys - She went there to ask those guys.

This is the whole foundation that must eventually be laid in each of us. A daily ten-minute habit of making new English sentences using pronouns will dispel fear and make you rise to a higher level in English. Learn a little, practice a lot, and smile more.

If you have something to add, or you want to ask something on this topic, then do not be shy - write to us in the comments.

A pronoun names an object or attribute of an object. In English, pronouns are conjugated, as in Russian. They are divided into personal, demonstrative, possessive and reflexive pronouns.
Personal pronouns can be singular or plural. They also change by case. Example: I take - I take, love me - love me.
Singular pronouns:
I - me
He -him
She - her
It- it It - to him / her
In plural:
We - us
You - you
They - them
The pronoun "it" is used when naming an inanimate object or animal. It can also be translated as "this". For example: Who is there? It's me! Who's there? It's me!
Demonstrative pronouns in English also change for numbers.
This - these
That - those
The pronoun "this" denotes the characteristic of an object that is not far from the speaker, and "that" one that is at some distance. I don't want this apple, I want that one. I don't want this apple, I want that one.
Possessive pronouns are used when a pronoun is needed without a noun. In the singular and plural it is:
My - my
his - his
her - her
its - his/her.
our - our
your - yours
their - theirs.
Possessive pronouns have a subspecies in the form of an absolute form. Used on its own.
Whose dog is this? She is mine. Whose dog is it? It's mine.
List of absolute pronouns in singular and plural:
Mine is mine
His - his
Hers - her
Its - his/her
ours - our
yours - your
theirs - theirs
Separately, it is necessary to consider the turnovers there is, there are. They usually imply a listing of either the items themselves or their quantity.
There is a chair in the room. The chair is in the room.
There are a bottle, a cup and a table in the kitchen. The kitchen has a bottle, a mug and a table.
The pronoun "some" is used for items that can be listed. It translates as "a few, a little." When questioned and denied, it is replaced by "any". Although, it can also be used in affirmative sentences. Bring me some cakes. Bring me some cakes. Take any book. Take any book.
The pronouns some, any, no together with -body form another group of pronouns. The same rules apply to them, they just apply to people.
In affirmative sentences will be used:
Something - something
Somebody - someone, somewhere
Somewhere - somewhere.
Ask somebody, please. Ask someone.
In negative:
Anything - something, something
Anybody - someone, somebody
Anywhere - somewhere, anywhere
Do you know anybody, who knows this secret? Do you know someone who knows this secret?
And in questions:
Nothing - nothing
Nobody - nobody
Nowhere - nowhere
There is nothing in our refrigerator. There is nothing in our refrigerator.
The pronouns "many" (many) and "few" (several) are used only for countables, and only in the plural. “Much” (a lot) and “little” (little) are used for uncountable nouns, which denote abstract concepts.
Many people prefer a good music. Many people prefer good music.
Take a few glasses and sit with us. Grab a few glasses and sit down with us.
Thank you very much. Thanks a lot.
Do you speak English? Yes, a little! Do you speak English? Yes, not enough!
Reflexive pronouns in English express an action that is directed towards the person who performs it.
I - myself (I)
You -yourself (you)
He- himself (he)
She-herself (she)
We- ourselves (we)
You-yourselves (you)
They - themselves (they)
Translated as yourself, yourself. He likes himself. He likes himself.

The use of the pronoun it often raises many questions for those who begin to learn English. There is no such analogue in Russian, and this makes it very difficult to understand the topic. When to use it? In what cases is it necessary? Let's sort it out in order.

When is it usually used?

1. The pronoun it must always be used when talking about things and animals. Yes, oddly enough, animals in English are often impersonal. Although, of course, there are cases when an individual of a certain gender is meant, and in this case, the pronouns he (he) and she (she) replace “it”.

So, examples:

Where is my key?- Where is my key?
It's in the pocket. - It's in my pocket.

This is my new bike. My wife doesn't like it.— This is my new bike. Wife doesn't like him.

What type of dog is it?- What breed of dog?
It's a German Shepherd.- German Shepherd.

2. When it comes to dates and times, the pronoun it is also indispensable here:

Time related examples:

What time is it?- What time is it?

It's 15 past ten.- 15 minutes past eleven.

Is it late?- (It is late now?

It's quarter to three?- A quarter to three.

Date related examples:

What day is it today?- What day is today?

It's Olga's birthday. Today is Olga's birthday.

Grammatical constructions with it (impersonal sentences)

The fact is that in English there are no impersonal sentences similar to ours. Rather, they are, but have a slightly different structure. Here again, it comes to the rescue, since in English there must be a subject of an action (as well as an action itself).

For example, the short Russian sentence "It's cold." corresponds to the English "It is cold."

Let's look at a few more examples:

It's amazing to fall in love. - Falling in love is wonderful.

It's dangerous to drive fast. - It is dangerous to exceed the speed limit while driving.

Do not forget that "it" can also be translated as "it".

What is it?(What is it?)

Who is it?(Who is it?)

And finally, it is used with verbs to look, to sound, to feel, to taste, to smell.

It sounds like a great idea.— (That) sounds like a great idea.

It feels so good to be alive. It's so good to feel alive.

The word it is used in English in a variety of ways. It replaces an inanimate noun or serves as a formal subject in a sentence. What is it and in what cases is it usedit in English- we will analyze in the article.

It as a personal pronoun

Personal pronouns in English include the familiar words I (I) / he (he) / she (she) / you (you, you) / we (we) / they (they). It is added to this row: it replaces an inanimate noun. Pronoun it is invariant and has no special plural form. It is translated into Russian with the same pronouns that are used for animate persons (he / she / it).

I’ve seen your book, it lies on the table - I saw your book, it lies on the table.

Your notebook is not here, your brother has taken it with him - Your notebook is not here, your brother took it with him.

As can be seen from the examples above, the form it can be in the position of the subject (it lies on the table - it lies on the table), and in the position of the object (your brother has taken it with him - your brother took it with him).

Animals and babies (when their gender is unknown) are also commonly referred to in English pronoun it , although the use of personal pronouns he / she is also possible:

The dog is full of energy, it cannot stop playing with the ball - The dog is very energetic, it will not stop playing with the ball.

impersonal pronoun

Another use caseit in English- impersonal offers. This pronoun allows you to describe a situation, to express a certain characteristic:

• It's beautiful - Beautiful
• It's too late - Too late

Pronoun it can be used as a replacement for some fragment of a sentence already mentioned in a speech. In such cases, it avoids repetition.

Do you know that Mr Smith has already come to town? Yes, I’ve heard about it - Do you know that Mr. Smith is already back in town? Yes, I heard about it instead of - Yes, I've heard that Mr Smith had already come to town).

In impersonal sentences, it often appears as a formal subject. The need for a formal subject arises when there is no subject that performs the action. But since the presence of the subject is mandatory in English, it appears in such phrases:

It's raining - It's raining.

There are typical cases when pronoun it as a formal subject. For example, when describing weather or temperature:

It's getting dark - It's getting dark.

It's cold outside - It's cold outside.

It is also used to indicate time or distance:

It's already 11 p.m. - It's already 11 pm.

It is 40 miles away from here - It's 40 miles away.

Other uses

Pronouns it can be used as a subject in other cases. Let's sort them out.

1. It appears in sentences where the semantic subject is the infinitive. The use of the infinitive as a subject is not very typical for English, therefore, in such phrases, pronoun it.

It's nice to talk to you - It's nice to talk to you (instead of - To talk to you is nice).

1. Another instance of it appearing as a formal subject is with a subordinate clause.

It is probable that we will be a little late - We will probably be a little late.

It does not interest me what you think - I'm not interested in what you think.

1. It takes construction.

When we talk about how much time it takes to complete an action, we can use the it takes construct.

It took me months to get to know her - It took me months to get to know her.

How long does it take to get to Boston? - How long does it take to get to Boston?

1. It's time design.

The construction it's time has the meaning "it's time ...". For example, it's time to go to bed (it's time to go to bed). If the sentence has a general character, then this phrase is immediately followed by an infinitive with the particle to. If the sentence is addressed to a specific person, then the infinitive can be preceded by a complementary for + noun that indicates the addressee.

It's time to buy a new car - It's time to buy a new car.

It's time for you to buy a new car - It's time for you to buy a new car.

1. Probability expression.

impersonal pronoun it appears in the constructions it seems (it seems), it appears (it turns out).

It appears / seems that they will not come - It seems that they will not come.

It appears / seems to me that they will not come - It seems to me that they will not come.

1. Semantic selection.

Using the pronoun it you can highlight a specific object in a sentence.

It was my aunt who took Peter to London yesterday - My aunt took Peter to London yesterday.

It was Peter whom my aunt took to London yesterday - Yesterday my aunt took Peter to London.

It was Peter's house that we visited yesterday - We were at the house yesterday Peter (and not anyone else).

The difference between the pronoun it and this / that

When the pronoun it is used as a reference to a known situation or thing, demonstrative pronouns this / that can also be used instead.

It is a strange story / This is a strange story / That is a strange story - This is a strange story.

It's terrible / This is terrible / That is terrible - It's terrible.

In such sentences, the variants it / this / that are interchangeable, although they have some semantic shades. All three options refer to the mentioned situation, but it defines the situation in the most general sense and does not emphasize it in any way. Whereas the pronouns this / that, rather, involve the speaker in the situation and pay attention to his attitude, indicate the novelty of the fact or the impression about it.

She decided to paint her house pink. It upset the neighbors a bit - She decided to paint the house pink. This upset the neighbors a little.

She decided to paint her house pink. This / That upset the neighbors, as you can imagine - She decided to paint the house pink. It upset the neighbors, as you can imagine.

There are other differences pronouns it from this / that. If multiple facts are mentioned in a sentence, then it refers to the most important one, and this / that to the last one mentioned.

We keep the guitar in the storage room. It is mainly used by the children - We keep the guitar in the closet. It is mainly used by children (Children use the guitar).

We keep the guitar in the storage room. This is mainly used by the children - We keep the guitar in the closet. It is mainly used by children (Children use the pantry).

Besides, it in Englishimplies the already mentioned event. And to define what hasn't been said yet, use this:

What do you think about this? I thought I’d get a job in Spain for ten months, but… - What do you think about it? I thought I would get a job in Spain for ten months, but... (The pronoun this is used because the situation is revealed after the pronoun).

In impersonal sentences, it cannot be replaced by this or that, because this / that refers to a specific object or situation and always implies a full noun:

Wrong: this / that is raining

Right: It's raining

Possessive pronoun

Pronoun it also has a possessive form - its (his, her). It is used to express belonging to an inanimate object.

This company is one of the most successful. Its purpose is to become the best - This company is one of the most successful. Her goal is to be the best.

In Russian, its can be translated by the pronoun "own":

The company has achieved its goal - The company has achieved its goal.

The possessive pronoun should not be confused with the shortened form it + is (it's). The pronunciation of the two forms is the same, but they occupy different positions in the sentence.

The abbreviated it's is a subject and a verb. The possessive pronoun its acts as an adjective and depends on the noun. Compare the following sentences:

Every country has its traditions - Every country has its own traditions.

It's a very long tradition - This is a very long tradition.