Demonstratives
Este, ese, aquel: how Spanish distinguishes three distances, plus the neuter forms esto, eso, aquello.
Three distances instead of two
English only has two demonstratives ('this' and 'that'), but Spanish has three, depending on the distance from the speaker:
- este = close to the speaker ('this')
- ese = close to the listener, or at a medium distance ('that')
- aquel = far from both, often out of sight ('that... over there')
Examples
All the forms
Each demonstrative agrees in gender and number with the noun it accompanies.
| afstand | mann. enk. | vr. enk. | mann. mv. | vr. mv. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| dichtbij (this) | este | esta | estos | estas |
| gemiddeld (that) | ese | esa | esos | esas |
| ver (that, over there) | aquel | aquella | aquellos | aquellas |
Examples
Adjective or pronoun
These words can stand before a noun (as an adjective: este coche) or alone (as a pronoun, replacing the noun): Este es mi coche (This is my car — 'este' here replaces 'este coche').
In the past, an accent was written when used as a pronoun (éste), but this is no longer required in the official spelling.
Examples
The neuter forms: esto, eso, aquello
Esto, eso, aquello are neuter forms (no masculine or feminine, no plural). You use them when referring to something unknown, unspecified, or a whole situation/idea — never right before a specific noun.
¿Qué es esto? (What is this? — you don't yet know what the object is). Eso no es justo (That's not fair — refers to a situation, not a thing).
Examples
💡 Tips
🎯 Practise this topic with 10 interactive exercises (10)
Related grammar
← Basic prepositionsThe regular preterite (pretérito indefinido) →
Want to really master this?
Create a free account: placement test, personal learning path, exercises with instant feedback, pronunciation and a real teacher following your progress.