This, That, That Over There
A1–A2Nouns and determiners 5 min
Este points to things near me, ese to things near you, and aquel to things far from us both. The demonstrative agrees with its noun in gender and number: esta casa, estos zapatos
No information at the current level. This view starts at A1: choose A1 or a higher level.
No information at the current level. This view starts at A1: choose A1 or a higher level.
CheatsheetA1–A2
| Point | Rule | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near me | este / esta / estos / estas | Este libro es nuevo. | This book is new. |
| Near you | ese / esa / esos / esas | ¿Cuánto cuesta esa mochila? | How much is that backpack? |
| Far from us both | aquel / aquella / aquellos / aquellas | Aquella casa es de mi abuela. | That house over there is my grandmother's. |
| Agreement | gender and number of the noun | Me gustan estos zapatos. | I like these shoes. |
| Alone | for a known noun, with no written accent | No quiero este libro; quiero ese. | I don't want this book; I want that one. |
| Neuter | esto, eso: a thing with no name yet | ¿Qué es esto? | What is this? |
| A2What was said | eso for what someone just said | Eso es verdad. | That's true. |
| A2Time | the present period: este año | Esta semana tengo exámenes. | I have exams this week. |
| Trap | before a noun, este, never esto | Quiero este pastel. | I want this cake. |
| Trap | introducing a person: este / esta | Este es mi hermano. | This is my brother. |
Form: three distancesA1
| Distance | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| near me | este / esta | estos / estas |
| near you | ese / esa | esos / esas |
| far from us both | aquel / aquella | aquellos / aquellas |
- The demonstrative goes before the noun and agrees with it in gender and number: Me gustan estas camisas. — I like these shirts.
- The masculine singular ends in -e: este, ese.
- The masculine singular of the far form ends in -l: aquel.
- Alone, the demonstrative takes the place of a known noun and has no written accent: No quiero este libro; quiero ese. — I don't want this book; I want that one.
- Introducing a person, the demonstrative takes the person’s gender: Esta es mi amiga Lucía. — This is my friend Lucía.
Neuter: esto, eso, aquelloA1–A2
| Form | Use | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| esto | a thing near me with no name yet | ¿Qué es esto? | What is this? |
| eso | a thing near you with no name yet | ¿Qué es eso? | What is that? |
| A2eso | what someone just said or did | Eso es verdad. | That's true. |
| aquello | a thing far from us both | ¿Qué es aquello? | What is that over there? |
- The neuter forms never go before a noun and have no plural.
Use: place and timeA1–A2
| Use | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| Near the speaker | Esta silla está libre. | This chair is free. |
| Near the listener | ¿Cuánto cuesta esa mochila? | How much is that backpack? |
| Far from both | Aquella casa es de mi abuela. | That house over there is my grandmother's. |
| A2The present period | Esta semana tengo exámenes. / Este año viajo a Perú. | I have exams this week. / This year I'm travelling to Peru. |
| A2A time long ago | En aquella época vivíamos en Lima. | In those days we lived in Lima. |
A2
- The place adverbs match the three distances: aquí with este, ahí with ese, allí with aquel. Aquel edificio de allí es el hospital. — That building over there is the hospital.
- Latin America: In Latin America, above all in Mexico and the Southern Cone, acá and allá are very frequent beside aquí and allí: Ven acá. — Come here.
Typical errorsA1–A2
| ✗ | ✓ | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| esto libro | este libro | before a noun, este |
| estes libros | estos libros | este → estos |
| ¿Qué es este? | ¿Qué es esto? | a thing with no name yet takes esto |
| Esto es mi hermano. | Este es mi hermano. | a person takes este or esta |
| A2esta problema | este problema | problema is masculine |
| aquello casa | aquella casa | before a feminine noun, aquella |