Demonstratives: este, ese, aquel
Spanish has three degrees of distance: este (this, near me), ese (that, near you), aquel (that over there, far from both).
| masc. sing. | fem. sing. | masc. pl. | fem. pl. | neuter | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| near me | este | esta | estos | estas | esto |
| near you | ese | esa | esos | esas | eso |
| far | aquel | aquella | aquellos | aquellas | aquello |
Notes
- They work before a noun or alone: Este libro es bueno. Prefiero ese.
- esto, eso, aquello refer to things you don’t name or ideas: ¿Qué es esto? Eso es verdad.
- Matching place words: aquí (here), ahí (there, near you), allí (over there).
- In time: este año (this year), aquel día (that day, long ago).
Examples
- Esta camisa es muy cara.This shirt is very expensive.
- ¿Me das ese bolígrafo?Can you give me that pen?
- Aquellas montañas son los Pirineos.Those mountains over there are the Pyrenees.
- Eso no me gusta.I don’t like that.
- Este libro es mío y aquel es tuyo.This book is mine and that one is yours.
Common mistakes
- ✗ Este casa es grande.✓ Esta casa es grande.Demonstratives agree with the noun in gender; English this and that never change.
- ✗ Esos libro son nuevos.✓ Esos libros son nuevos.Demonstratives also agree in number, so the noun must be plural too.
- ✗ Eso libro es nuevo.✓ Ese libro es nuevo.Eso is a neuter pronoun for ideas or things not named. With a noun you need ese, esa, esos or esas.
- ✗ Aquel coches son nuevos.✓ Aquellos coches son nuevos.Aquel must be plural to agree with coches. English “those” makes this feel like one word.
- ✗ Estos casas son bonitas.✓ Estas casas son bonitas.Casa is feminine, so the plural is estas, not estos.