Demonstrative Pronouns

 

Demonstrative pronouns

There are two demonstrative pronouns in Indonesian. 

Ini "this, these" is used for a noun which is generally near to the speaker. 

Itu "that, those" is used for a noun which is generally far from the speaker. 

Either may sometimes be equivalent to English "the". 

There is no difference between singular and plural. 

However, plural can be indicated through duplication of a noun followed by a ini or itu. 

The word yang "which" is often placed before demonstrative pronouns to give emphasis and a sense of certainty, particularly when making references or enquiries about something/ someone, like English "this one" or "that one".

Pronoun	Indonesian	English
ini	buku ini	This book, these books, the book(s)
	buku-buku ini	These books, (all) the books
itu	kucing itu	That cat, those cats, the cat(s)
	kucing-kucing itu	Those cats, the (various) cats

Pronoun + yang	Example sentence	English meaning
Yang ini	Q: Anda mau membeli buku yang mana? A: Saya mau yang ini.	Q: Which book do you wish to purchase? A: I would like this one.
Yang itu	Q: Kucing mana yang memakan tikusmu? A: Yang itu!	Q: Which cat ate your mouse? A: That one!