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Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Masa in Japan about the usage¹ of the words "it" and "that" in English conversation.

Question'

Dear teacher,

I'd like to ask about [the choice of] pronouns², either "it" or "that," in my English conversation. Sometimes, I'm confused about [choosing] these words.

Thank you,

Masa

Answer

I'm happy to answer this question, Masa.

We usually use the word "it" to describe a general state of our environment or a situation. And we often use the word "that" to answer something specific that someone said.

Let's consider the word "it" first. To describe a state means to describe what the environment or situation is like. The word "it" gives us a quick way of doing this. And we typically contract the word "it" with the verb "is" and say "It's". So instead of saying:

The weather is very cold in Siberia in the winter.

We can simply say:

It's very cold in Siberia in the winter.

Similarly³, we can say:

It's noisy here.

It's crowded right now on the train.

We can also use the word "it" to describe what it is like to do something in general. Consider these examples:

It's difficult to find a good hotel in that city.

It's normal to feel nervous before giving a speech.

Now, let's consider the word "that." Instead of describing the state of an environment, each of the following examples shows a person responding to a specific statement.

A: I'm surprised you disagree with her.

B: No, no, that is not what I mean. I agree with what she said.

A: Is that your explanation?

B: That is the best answer I can give you.

A: Did Diane say she was leaving her job?

B: That is what I heard.

So, in general, when you answer to someone in conversation, you can use the word "that."

However, there are times when we use the word "it" to answer something specific. For example, if someone asks you if you enjoy an activity, you can reply:

Yes, it's great. I love it.

There are many more uses of the word "that." You can read and listen to a previous Ask a Teacher program: This and That.

For our readers and listeners, what are your questions about American English? We'd like to hear from you. Send us an email at [email protected]. And please include where you are from in your email, too.

And that's Ask a Teacher.

I'm Andrew Smith.

Andrew Smith wrote this lesson for VOA Learning⁴ English.