How To Say That In Russian

Mastering the Russian language often feels like navigating a labyrinth of cases, genders, and nuances. So naturally, "** Unlike English, where "that" functions as a demonstrative pronoun, a relative pronoun, a conjunction, and an adverb with a single spelling, Russian demands precision. One of the first hurdles learners encounter is translating the seemingly simple English word **"that.The translation changes entirely based on grammatical gender, case, and syntactic function.

It sounds simple, but the gap is usually here.

Understanding how to say that in Russian requires breaking down the word into its distinct grammatical roles. This guide provides a comprehensive roadmap to using the correct form in every context, moving you from textbook memorization to natural fluency The details matter here..

The Demonstrative Pronoun: Тот, Та, То, Те

When you point at a specific object far away or refer to something previously mentioned, you are using the demonstrative pronoun "that." In Russian, this is тот (tot). Because Russian nouns have gender (masculine, feminine, neuter) and number (singular, plural), "that" must agree with the noun it modifies That's the whole idea..

Nominative Case Forms (The Dictionary Forms)

• Тот (tot) — Masculine: Тот дом (That house)
• Та (ta) — Feminine: Та книга (That book)
• То (to) — Neuter: То окно (That window)
• Те (te) — Plural (all genders): Те люди (Those people)

Pro Tip: Do not confuse тот (that) with этот (this). Тот implies distance (physical or psychological), while этот implies proximity.

Declension Across Cases

This is where most learners struggle. Тот declines similarly to hard-stem adjectives, but with specific pronoun endings in the Genitive, Dative, Instrumental, and Prepositional cases.

Singular Declension

Plural Declension (All Genders)

Examples in Context:

• Я вижу того мужчину. (I see that man — Accusative Animate Masculine).
• Дай мне ту ручку. (Give me that pen — Accusative Feminine).
• Мы говорили об том фильме. (We talked about that movie — Prepositional Neuter).

The Conjunction: Что (Shto)

When "that" connects two clauses (functioning as a subordinating conjunction), the Russian equivalent is almost always что (shto). It introduces a subordinate clause reporting speech, thought, or perception.

Structure: Main Clause + , что + Subordinate Clause.

• Я думаю, что это правда. (I think that it is true.)
• Он сказал, что придёт поздно. (He said that he would come late.)
• Видно, что она уставшая. (It is visible that she is tired.)

Critical Rule: In Russian, the comma before что is mandatory. Unlike English, where "that" is often omitted ("I think it's true"), что can never be dropped in standard Russian syntax And it works..

Что vs. Чтобы (Purpose)

If "that" expresses purpose (meaning "in order that" or "so that"), use чтобы (chtoby) + subjunctive/imperfective verb (often past tense formed with бы) Simple, but easy to overlook..

• Я сделал это, чтобы ты был счастлив. (I did this so that you would be happy.)
• Закрой дверь, чтобы не было сквозняка. (Close the door so that there is no draft.)

The Relative Pronoun: Который (Kotoryy)

When "that" acts as a relative pronoun referring back to a noun (antecedent) — and can be replaced by "which" or "who" — use который (kotoryy). It declines by case within its own clause but agrees in gender and number with the antecedent.

• Это книга, которая лежит на столе. (This is the book that is lying on the table.)
  • Книга (fem.) → которая (Nom. Fem.).
• Человек, которого я встретил вчера... (The man that I met yesterday...)
  • Человек (masc. animate) → которого (Acc. Animate Masc.).

Common Mistake Alert: Do not use что here.

• ❌ Книга, что лежит на столе. (Colloquial/Incorrect standard grammar).
• ✅ Книга, которая лежит на столе.

The Adverb: "That" as Degree (Так, Толко, Столько)

English uses "that" as an adverb of degree ("It wasn't that bad," "I didn't know it was that expensive"). Russian uses specific adverbs depending on the nuance.

1. Так (Tak) — "So / To such a degree"

Used with adjectives or adverbs. Often pairs with что in consequence clauses.

• Фильм не был так страшен. (The movie wasn't that scary.)
• Он так быстро бежал, что устал. (He ran so/that fast that he got tired.)

2. Только (Tol'ko) — "Only / Just" (Limiting degree)

• Я только что пришёл. (I just arrived — temporal "that" moment).
• Это только кажется. (It only seems that way.)

3. Столько (Skol'ko) — "That much / So many" (Quantity)

• Я не думал, что это займёт столько времени. (I didn't think it would take that much time.)

Idiomatic & Fixed Expressions

Language lives in chunks. Memorizing these high-frequency phrases will make your speech sound significantly more native.

Easier said than done, but still worth knowing.