English speakers take the forms very seriously. Introducing people to each other is a basic skill that you have to master. Also, the English we use to do it is quite easy, so you have no excuse. Come on!
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The theory
First of all, let’s look at some personal pronouns. Look at these phrases and try to identify them:
| This is not John. It’s Jack. | This isn’t John. It’s Jack. |
| He is a nurse. | He’s a nurse. |
| That is not Susan. It’s Anna. | That isn’t Susan. It’s Anna. |
| She is an architect. | She’s an architect. |
Have you seen them Let’s explain it a little better:
- She ( he ) and he ( she ) are the personal pronouns of the third person singular. Use them instead of using the names of the people you refer to so that you are not repeating the names of the people all the time and so you will not be creepy . He is pronounced / hhhi / with theaspirated h , nothing to do with the Spanish j ! And she is / shhhí / , with the sound of shouting : / shhhh / .
- When we talk about people, this means this or this and that is that , that , that or that . In English it is what we use when we introduce two people who did not know each other: instead of saying She is Anna , which would be a bit strange, we would say This is Ana .
- Remember that we almost always contract the verb to be , so that and it would be that’s / dzatsss / and it’s / itsss / . In negative it can also be contracted with not : isn’t / isnt / . And with this it never contracts!
The practice
Let’s see examples of affirmative sentences with This is / dzísis / and That’s / dzats / . Out loud please!
| This is Mr. Harris. | This is Mr. Harris |
| That’s Mrs. Martin. | That’s Mrs. Martin. |
| This is Miss Thompson. | This is Miss Thompson. |
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Now let’s see how the female pronoun she is used . Remember: we say / shhhí / , and no / si / . In addition, we unite the pronoun, the verb and the article when speaking, so that She’s a becomes / shhhís a / .
| That is not Jane. It’s Mary. She is a judge. | That isn’t Jane. It’s Mary. She’s a judge. |
| This is not Sophia. It’s Marta. She is medical. | This isn’t Sophia. It’s Marta. She’s a doctor. |
| That is not Carmen. It’s Julia. She is lawyer. | That isn’t Carmen. It’s Julia. She’s a lawyer. |
Now let’s see how to use the masculine pronoun h e. When saying the following sentences aloud, join the pronoun, the verb and the article: He’s a : / hhhís a / .
| This is not Daniel. It’s Charles. He is a dancer. | This isn’t Daniel. It’s Charles. He’s a dancer. |
| That is not Gabriel. It’s John. He is a secretary. | That isn’t Gabriel. It’s John. He’s a secretary. |
| This is not William. It’s Steven. He is a homemaker. | This isn’t William. It’s Steven. He’s a househusband. |
Extra
Pronunciation key
Stick your tongue out between your teeth and exaggerate the sound by saying this / dzis / and that / dzat / . If you do it right, you will feel a tickle in your nose! 🙂
Common mistake
When we talk about someone’s profession, contrary to what happens in Spanish, we always use the article a or an . Therefore, we do not say She’s doctor , but She’s a doctor
