Duolingo Guidebook · Japanese from English

京都えきはほんとうにきれいなえきですね。
Kyoto Station is a really pretty train station, isn't it?

あのたてものは何ですか。
What is that building over there?

あのたてものはデパートです。
That building over there is a department store.

これはゆうめいなじんじゃですか。
Is this a famous shrine?

そのすてきなポストカードはいくらですか。
How much is that lovely postcard?

このポストカードは五百えんです。
This postcard is five hundred yen.

それ (sore) and あれ (are) both mean that, so what’s the difference?

それ (sore) is to talk about things near the listener. (As opposed to これ (kore), which refers to things near the speaker.)

それは何ですか？
Sore wa nan desu ka?
What is that?

あれ (are) refers to something that isn’t near the speaker or the listener!

あれは何ですか？
Are wa nan desu ka?
What is that (over there)?