DEMonSTRATIVE PRonOUNS (Demonstrativpronomen)
Vater hat diesen Mann auch gesehen, aber nicht erkannt.
Ich habe denenen doch nichts gesagt!
Function
With a demonstrative pronoun, the speaker or writer points at someone or something that has already been defined, or needs be revisited, as distinguished from Personalpronomen, which are not demonstrative.
Demonstrativpronomen are to either accompany a noun, or substitute for one (e.g. diese Person). As a noun substitute, the Demonstrativpronomen has similarities with the 3.Person-Personalpronomen. Example:
Das Haus? Das habe ich auch gesucht.
Similarly as the Personalpronomen es (see there, Comment 5), the neuter form of the Demonstrativpronomen may refer back to an entire sentence. Example:
Kommt sie morgen? Das weiß ich nicht.
There are four sets of Demonstrativpronomen, members of each set to be declined. Consequently, the German grammar can offer a wealth of options. Writers and speakers have the grammatical choice anywher from being very specific, to less specific or even vague. It remains the translator's obligation to convey to the English reader the intentions of the original German text.
