Demonstrative Pronouns

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.

 

To sum this up, one has typically available a spectrum of grammatical choices that help make miscommunication in the German language fairly preventible through remarkably little effort. To be familiar with the pertinent grammatical rules is clearly worth the effort, considering the benefit, which can be greater the more erudite the communication tends to be. Demonstrativpronomen can play a significant role. Of the demonstrative pronouns, the shortest simplest choice available is generally preferred, except to avoid an ambiguity.