Los demostrativos (Demonstratives)
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Demonstratives are words used to point out or identify people, objects, or ideas in relation to distance (closeness or remoteness) between the speaker and the listener. Demonstratives have two main uses:
- As adjectives: they come before a noun and must agree with it in gender and number.
Example:
- Este carro 🚙
- this car
- Aquella recepcionista 💁🏽♀️
- That receptionist over there
- As pronouns: they replace the noun.
Example:
- ¿Te gusta este? (este hostal 🛏️)
- Do you like this one? (this hostel)
Forms of Demonstratives
Distance | Masculine singular | Feminine singular | Masculine plural | Feminine plural | Neutral |
Close (here) | este | esta | estos | estas | esto |
Medium (there) | ese | esa | esos | esas | eso |
Far (over there) | aquel | aquella | aquellos | aquellas | aquello |
- este/esta/estos/estas: refer to something near the speaker.
Example:
- Esta pelota es mía. 🎾
- This ball is mine.
- ese/esa/esos/esas: refer to something near the listener or slightly farther from the speaker.
Example:
- ¿Te gusta ese equipo?
- Do you like that team?
- aquel/aquella/aquellos/aquellas: refer to something far from both speaker and listener.
Example:
- Aquel edificio es un estadio. 🏟️
- That building over there is a stadium.
Neutral forms: esto, eso, aquello
These are used to refer to ideas, situations, or unspecified or abstract things. They do not change in gender or number.
- ¿Qué es esto? ❓🤔
- What is this?
- Eso no me gusta. 👎😒
- I don't like that.
- Aquello fue muy difícil. 😮💨
- That situation was very difficult.
Agreement
When used as adjectives, demonstratives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify:
- este chico, esta chica, estos chicos, estas chicas
- this boy, this girl, these boys, these girls
- aquel problema, aquellas soluciones
- that problem, those solutions