student asking question

Why do you say "this guy" instead of "a guy"? How different them?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

In this video, she says "this guy" because she is telling a story and doesn't want to reveal who the person is. However, she could have used "a guy" in this sentence and it would have made sense. I believe she uses "this guy" as a way of being more specific whereas "a guy" is more generalized. Ex: There was this girl at camp who was an amazing swimmer. Ex: When I was at the grocery store, there was this couple who were yelling at a cashier. It was ridiculous. Ex: 'I Am Malala' is this amazing book about a girl who stood up against the Taliban.

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