זאת הדמות הראשית בסרט.

this

Breakdown of זאת הדמות הראשית בסרט.

• ב: in
• סרט: movie
• דמות: character

Questions & Answers about זאת הדמות הראשית בסרט.

What does זאת mean here, and can I also say זו?

זאת means this.

In this sentence, זאת is a feminine singular demonstrative, because it refers to הדמות (the character/figure), which is a feminine noun.

Yes, you can very often also say זו in modern Hebrew:

• זאת הדמות הראשית בסרט
• זו הדמות הראשית בסרט

Both are commonly understood as This is the main character in the movie.
For a beginner, the important thing is: both can function as this for a feminine noun.

Why is it זאת and not זה?

Because דמות is feminine.

Hebrew words have grammatical gender, and words that refer back to them often have to match that gender.

• masculine this: זה
• feminine this: זאת / זו

So:

• זה הספר = This is the book → ספר is masculine
• זאת הדמות = This is the character → דמות is feminine

Where is the word is in this sentence?