What does those mean?
Those is the plural counterpart of this and that. It identifies a known or already mentioned set of people, things, ideas, or circumstances. Before a noun, it functions as a determiner, as in “those books”; used independently, it functions as a pronoun, as in “those were remarkable.” The word can point backward to something previously mentioned, forward to something shared by the speaker and listener, or spatially to something relatively distant. It is especially natural in expressions that evoke a past period or condition, such as “those days,” and in the commonly used construction “those who.” Unlike singular that, those consistently marks plurality in ordinary standard English. Its use is stable across formal writing and everyday speech, with no major regional restriction. Although “they” may sometimes offer a more concise way to refer to a known group, those makes the demonstrative relationship and plurality more explicit. Understanding those alongside this, these, and that provides useful control over number, reference, and perspective in English.
A plural demonstrative determiner specifying people or things that are already known, have been mentioned, or are relatively distant.
"Those flowers in the courtyard bloom every spring."
When it precedes a noun, those specifies the noun as plural and often carries a contrast with this or these.
A plural demonstrative pronoun referring on its own to people or things that are already known, mentioned, or contrasted.
"Those are the neighbors who helped us move."
Used independently, those can refer to previously mentioned entities, shared circumstances, or entities regarded as relatively distant.
Those began as the genitive plural of “that,” growing from an ancient form of “that” into today's familiar demonstrative plural.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does those come from?
Those descends from Old English þās, originally the genitive plural form of þæt, meaning “that.” It later developed into a demonstrative plural alongside the singular that and the related plural these. The demonstratives ultimately go back to the same Indo-European root represented by this and that, although their modern grammatical functions reflect substantial historical restructuring.
How those is actually used
Those is neutral in register and used in both formal and informal English. It is normally plural and commonly evokes something already mentioned, shared by the participants, or relatively distant; in retrospective expressions such as “those days,” it can also refer abstractly to a past period.
Easily confused with those
Those usually identifies people or things already mentioned or relatively distant, whereas these identifies nearer people or things.
Those is the usual plural demonstrative in standard contemporary English, while that is normally singular.