Demonstratives: Este, Ese, Aquel

Learn how to point things out and talk about "this," "that," "these," and "those" in Spanish using demonstrative adjectives and pronouns!

What Are Demonstratives?

Demonstratives are words that point out specific things:

• This book (close to you)
• That book (farther away)
• These books (close, plural)
• Those books (far, plural)

Spanish has THREE levels of distance:

1. Este = this (close to speaker)
2. Ese = that (close to listener)
3. Aquel = that (far from both)

The Three Distances

Visual Guide

Este (this) - Close to ME 👤 📖 ← right here

Ese (that) - Close to YOU 👤 → 📖 👥 ← over there by you

Aquel (that) - Far from BOTH of us 👤 👥 → → → 📖 ← way over there

Este - This / These (Close)

All Forms

Examples

Masculine singular (este):

• este libro (this book)
• este coche (this car)
• este hombre (this man)
• este perro (this dog)

Feminine singular (esta):

• esta casa (this house)
• esta mesa (this table)
• esta mujer (this woman)
• esta gata (this cat)

Masculine plural (estos):

• estos libros (these books)
• estos coches (these cars)
• estos hombres (these men)
• estos perros (these dogs)

Feminine plural (estas):

• estas casas (these houses)
• estas mesas (these tables)
• estas mujeres (these women)
• estas gatas (these cats)

Ese - That / Those (Medium Distance)

All Forms

Examples

Masculine singular (ese):

• ese libro (that book)
• ese coche (that car)
• ese hombre (that man)
• ese perro (that dog)

Feminine singular (esa):

• esa casa (that house)
• esa mesa (that table)
• esa mujer (that woman)
• esa gata (that cat)

Masculine plural (esos):

• esos libros (those books)
• esos coches (those cars)
• esos hombres (those men)
• esos perros (those dogs)

Feminine plural (esas):

• esas casas (those houses)
• esas mesas (those tables)
• esas mujeres (those women)
• esas gatas (those cats)

Aquel - That / Those (Far Distance)

All Forms

Examples

Masculine singular (aquel):

• aquel libro (that book over there)
• aquel coche (that car over there)
• aquel hombre (that man over there)
• aquel edificio (that building over there)

Feminine singular (aquella):

• aquella casa (that house over there)
• aquella mesa (that table over there)
• aquella mujer (that woman over there)
• aquella montaña (that mountain over there)

Masculine plural (aquellos):

• aquellos libros (those books over there)
• aquellos coches (those cars over there)
• aquellos hombres (those men over there)
• aquellos edificios (those buildings over there)

Feminine plural (aquellas):

• aquellas casas (those houses over there)
• aquellas mesas (those tables over there)
• aquellas mujeres (those women over there)
• aquellas montañas (those mountains over there)

Quick Comparison Chart

When to Use Each One

Este (this/these) - CLOSE

Use when the object is:

• Right next to you
• In your hand
• Very close by

Examples:

• "Este libro es mío" (This book [in my hand] is mine)
• "Esta mesa está sucia" (This table [right here] is dirty)
• "Estos zapatos son nuevos" (These shoes [I'm wearing/pointing at] are new)

Ese (that/those) - MEDIUM

Use when the object is:

• Near the person you're talking to
• A medium distance away
• Not too far but not close either

Examples:

• "¿Cuánto cuesta ese libro?" (How much is that book [near you]?)
• "Esa casa es bonita" (That house [over there] is pretty)
• "¿De quién son esos zapatos?" (Whose are those shoes [by you]?)

Aquel (that/those) - FAR

Use when the object is:

• Far from both speaker and listener
• Way over there
• In the distance

Examples:

• "Aquel edificio es muy alto" (That building [way over there] is very tall)
• "¿Ves aquella montaña?" (Do you see that mountain [in the distance]?)
• "Aquellos árboles son viejos" (Those trees [far away] are old)

Note: "Aquel" is less common in everyday speech. Many Spanish speakers just use "ese" for both medium and far distance.

Demonstrative Adjectives vs. Pronouns

As Adjectives (Before Nouns)

Demonstratives can be adjectives that come before nouns:

• "Este libro es interesante" (This book is interesting)
• "Esa casa es grande" (That house is big)
• "Aquellos hombres son profesores" (Those men are teachers)

As Pronouns (Standing Alone)

Demonstratives can also be pronouns that replace nouns:

• "Este es mi libro" (This [one] is my book)
• "Esa es mi casa" (That [one] is my house)
• "Aquellos son mis amigos" (Those [ones] are my friends)

Previously, pronouns had accent marks (éste, ése, aquél) to distinguish them from adjectives, but modern Spanish doesn't require accents anymore. The meaning is clear from context!

Neuter Forms: Esto, Eso, Aquello

For unknown or abstract things, use neuter forms:

Note: These forms:

• Never change (no gender/number agreement)
• Never go before nouns (only stand alone)
• Refer to ideas, situations, or unknown things

Examples

Esto (this):

• "¿Qué es esto?" (What is this?)
• "Esto es importante" (This is important)
• "No entiendo esto" (I don't understand this)

Eso (that):

• "¿Qué es eso?" (What is that?)
• "Eso es verdad" (That's true)
• "No me gusta eso" (I don't like that)

Aquello (that):

• "¿Qué es aquello?" (What is that [over there]?)
• "Aquello fue terrible" (That was terrible)
• "No recuerdo aquello" (I don't remember that)

Use neuter when:

• You don't know what something is: "¿Qué es esto?"
• Referring to a whole idea/situation: "Eso es cierto" (That's true)
• Pointing at something abstract: "Esto es difícil" (This is difficult)

Common Phrases with Demonstratives

Shopping

Pointing Things Out

Asking Questions

Este vs. Esto - Common Confusion

Este (masculine) = this + masculine noun

• "Este libro" (This book)

Esta (feminine) = this + feminine noun

• "Esta casa" (This house)

Esto (neuter) = this (abstract/unknown)

• "Esto es importante" (This is important)

Key difference:

• Este/Esta need a noun: "este libro," "esta casa"
• Esto stands alone: "esto es bueno"

Wrong: ❌ "Esto libro" Right: ✅ "Este libro"

Wrong: ❌ "Este es bueno" (when referring to an abstract idea) Right: ✅ "Esto es bueno"

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Choose Este, Ese, or Aquel

Based on distance:

1. ___ libro (in your hand)
2. ___ casa (across the street)
3. ___ montaña (in the far distance)
4. ___ zapatos (someone else is wearing)

Answers:

1. Este libro (close to you)
2. Esa casa (medium distance)
3. Aquella montaña (far away)
4. Esos zapatos (close to listener)

Exercise 2: Choose the Correct Form

1. ___ casa (this, feminine)
2. ___ libros (those, masculine, medium)
3. ___ mujer (that, feminine, far)
4. ___ perros (these, masculine)

Answers:

1. Esta casa
2. Esos libros
3. Aquella mujer
4. Estos perros

Exercise 3: Este or Esto?

1. ___ es mi amigo (This is my friend)
2. ___ libro es interesante (This book is interesting)
3. ¿Qué es ___? (What is this?)
4. ___ hombre es mi padre (This man is my father)

Answers:

1. Este (referring to person)
2. Este (before masculine noun)
3. esto (neuter, unknown thing)
4. Este (before masculine noun)

Exercise 4: Translate to Spanish

1. This house (feminine)
2. That car (medium distance, masculine)
3. Those books (far away, masculine)
4. These shoes (feminine)
5. What is that? (unknown thing)

Answers:

1. Esta casa
2. Ese coche/carro
3. Aquellos libros
4. Estos zapatos
5. ¿Qué es eso?

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Mistake 1: Using Neuter with Nouns

Wrong: ❌ "Esto libro" Right: ✅ "Este libro"

Wrong: ❌ "Eso casa" Right: ✅ "Esa casa"

Remember: Esto/eso/aquello NEVER go before nouns!

❌ Mistake 2: Wrong Gender Agreement

Wrong: ❌ "Este casa" (casa is feminine!) Right: ✅ "Esta casa"

Wrong: ❌ "Esa libro" (libro is masculine!) Right: ✅ "Ese libro"

❌ Mistake 3: Confusing Este/Esto

Wrong: ❌ "Esto hombre es mi padre" Right: ✅ "Este hombre es mi padre"

Wrong: ❌ "Este es importante" (when referring to an idea) Right: ✅ "Esto es importante"

❌ Mistake 4: Forgetting Plural Forms

Wrong: ❌ "Este libros" Right: ✅ "Estos libros"

Wrong: ❌ "Esa casas" Right: ✅ "Esas casas"

Quick Reference: Full Chart

Regular Forms (With Nouns)

Neuter Forms (Alone, Abstract)

Practice Dialogue

In a store:

Cliente: Buenos días. ¿Cuánto cuesta esta camisa? Vendedor: Esa cuesta 30 euros. Cliente: ¿Y aquella de allá? Vendedor: Aquella cuesta 40 euros. Cliente: Me gusta esta. Me la llevo. Vendedor: Perfecto. ¿Qué es esto? Cliente: Esto es mi tarjeta de crédito.

Your Action Plan

Week 1: Este/Esta/Estos/Estas

• Master all forms of "este"
• Practice with close objects
• Use while pointing at things near you

Week 2: Ese/Esa/Esos/Esas

• Learn all forms of "ese"
• Practice medium distance
• Compare este vs. ese

Week 3: Aquel and Neuter Forms

• Learn aquel forms (less common)
• Master esto/eso/aquello
• Practice all three distances

Week 4: Full Practice

• Use all demonstratives in conversation
• Practice shopping dialogues
• Point out and describe things

Pro Tip: Walk around your house pointing at things and saying "este libro," "esa silla," "aquella lámpara." Physical pointing helps reinforce the distance concept!

Shopping Practice: When shopping (even online), practice saying "Me gusta este," "Quiero ese," "¿Cuánto cuesta aquel?" This builds practical vocabulary!

Memory Trick: Think of the distances as:

• Este = EXTremely close (both start with E)
• Ese = ESsentially there (medium)
• Aquel = wAy over there (A for Away)

Remember: Demonstratives are essential for pointing things out, shopping, and describing locations. Master these and you'll be able to specify exactly which thing you're talking about!