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As far as I know "who is this/that?"are used to talk about people, but the plural form "who are these/those?" isn't. Is there an explanation why it is wrong to use "who are these/those?" when talking about people?

For example, I am looking at some people and ask my friend: "who are these/those (people)?"

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    You are right, you don't use "who are those?" - it seems to be just an illogical piece of idiom.
    – James K
    Nov 30, 2021 at 7:30
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    It isn't strictly wrong to ask "Who are these?". I immediately thought of the hymn Who are these, like stars appearing, which is an 1840s translation from the German. But it would sound odd and unidiomatic in modern speech.
    – Kate Bunting
    Nov 30, 2021 at 10:10
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    A more natural way to say it would be "Who are they?"
    – Daniel Roseman
    Nov 30, 2021 at 11:51
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    It's just that idiomatically, we're much more used to dropping the implied noun in Who is this person?, Who is that lady? than we are with Who are these / those? But all versions are equally "grammatical", even if we don't hear or use them all equally often.
    – FumbleFingers
    Nov 30, 2021 at 13:17
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    As FumbleFingers and I have said, it isn't incorrect, it's just that we are more likely to say "Who are these/those people?" or "Who are they?". You might say "Who are those people? And who are those?" (pointing at a different group).
    – Kate Bunting
    Dec 1, 2021 at 9:00

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As a general rule, we use 'this' for something immediately in front of us or brought to our attention, and 'that' for something that we are highlighting from a distance.

Example: Imagine you're in a crowded room. If a friend introduced you to someone - brought them to you - they might say "this is John". But, if your friend pointed at someone on the other side of the room, they might say "that is John".

The same is true of 'these' and 'those'. Generally, 'these' is for things brought to you, 'those' are things that are highlighted to you.

Example: If your friend handed you some photographs, he might say "these are photos of my family". But, if he pointed at some photos hanging on the wall, he might say "those are photos of my family".

There are exceptions. For example, if a group of people were in the distance but were intentionally heading towards you, one might ask "who are these people?". Likewise, someone might preemptively say "look at this" before bringing something to you. So, it isn't so much the distance between you and the thing being referred to, but whether it will remain remote.

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    I don't think this addresses the question. Why do we say 'Who is that?' but we don't say 'Who are those?' when asking about a single (or plural) remote person (people).
    – James K
    Nov 30, 2021 at 18:52
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    @JamesK We absolutely do say "who are those people". You have to remember that the questions mainly come from English learners. If you focus on their own mistakes you miss the point of the question.
    – Astralbee
    Dec 1, 2021 at 10:18
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    "Who are those people?" is correct. But "Who are those?" is not correct (at least not idiomatic) Yet "Who is that?" is correct. I've read the question again, and I think the point of the question is the contrast between "Who are those?" and "Who is that?". I don't think this answers the question.
    – James K
    Dec 1, 2021 at 17:46

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