Difference between この and その


As far as I know (I thought I knew), こ- is related to things that are close to
the person who speaks, and そ- is related to the person who is spoken to. Is
that right ?

However, in a exercise book, I had to answer this:

__犬はバカです。(close from the interlocutor)

I answered "その", but the book answer says "この", and I don't get why.




Your understanding of この and その is correct, I think the confusion comes from
the wording of the question. As there only seems to be one person talking, you
can assume that person is the interlocutor. So if the subject is close to the
interlocutor (the person speaking), you would use この.




Your understanding of この and その is correct, I think the confusion comes from
the wording of the question. As there only seems to be one person talking, you
can assume that person is the interlocutor. So if the subject is close to the
interlocutor (the person speaking), you would use この.

