Hereandthere

When we usehere, it typically refers to the place where the speaker is, and we see the position of people and things from the speaker’s point of view:

Do you want to stayhereor go to another restaurant?

Could you comehereand help me for a minute?

When we usethere, it typically refers to the place where the listener or another person is, and we see the position of people and things from the listener’s or another person’s point of view:

Our son Jim’s living in Barcelona. He wants us to gotherefor a holiday.

A:

Where’s my cup of tea?

B:

It’sthere,next to you, on the little table!

We often useherewith nouns that havethisorthesebefore them, andtherewith nouns that havethatorthosebefore them:

Aretheseshoeshereyours?

You pressthatbuttonthereand the motor should start.

We can usehereandthereafter prepositions:

Is there a bankaround here?

It’s coldin here. Shut that door!

A:

Where shall I put this box of books?

B:

Oh, put itover there,please, by the bookshelf.

We can usehereandtherein front position, with the subject and verb inverted. The most common expressions of this type arehere is x,here comes x,there is x, there goes x:

A:

Here’s the CDI said I’d lend you, the Brazilian music.

B:

Oh, thanks.

Here comes your taxi, so we’d better say bye bye now.

[pointing to a shop across the street]

There’s the shopwhere I bought those black shoes you liked.

Oh look,there goesFreda on a bike. I didn’t know she had one!

When the subject is a pronoun, we do not invert the subject and verb:

A:

Where’s the tin opener?

B:

There it is,on the sink.

Not:There is it, on the sink.

We can usehere you areandthere you are(or, in informal situations,here you goandthere you go) when giving something to someone.Hereandtherehave the same meaning in this use:

A:

Did you get my newspaper?

B:

Yes.Here you are. [gives it to A]

A:

Can you pass me that dictionary?

B:

There you go. [gives A the dictionary]

A:

Thank you.

We often usehere+ subject pronoun+ beandthere+ subject pronoun +beat the moment of finding or meeting someone or something we have been looking for or waiting for:

A:

Has anyone seen my pen?

B:

Here it is,right by the phone.

Simon!There you are!Everyone’s waiting for you!

People often say that they have arrived or that someone else has arrived usinghere+ subject pronoun +be:

A:

Hello!Here we are! I hope we haven’t missed lunch?

B:

Hello. No, you’re right on time.

People often usehereto identify themselves on the telephone or in voicemail messages:

A:

Hi, Rex,Julia here.How are you?

B:

Julia, hi. Fine, thanks. And you?

We often usetherein informal situations afterhelloandhi:

A:

Hello there.How’s things?

B:

Hi there.Fine. How are you?(How’s things?is something that we say in informal contexts but we don’t write it.How are things?is less informal.)